Kagome Kagome
by Darkening Light 666
Summary: "Kagome Kagome, the bird is in the basket. When, oh when will it come out? In the night of dawn. The crane and the turtle slipped. Who is behind you now?" Who is behind me now? Sesshomaru/OC
1. Prologue

**Welcome to the improved version of **_**Kagome Kagome**_**.**

**Quite a lot of this prologue has changed. It's over five hundred words longer **_**and **_**has some important changes that'll be important later on in the fic. I'm using this chapter to show you the vast change in Mio's attitude, from before and after the magic hits her. This is Mio at nineteen, cynical of all forms of magic, but excited by little things like the prospect of love. You'll also notice that she's more outspoken and prone to swearing than I had her written previously. That's an important change.**

**I hope you guys like the new prologue! More to come soon, I promise. I won't be leaving this for another six months to sit here. If I do, you guys can all appear before me and strike me down.**

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**Kagome Kagome**

Prologue

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"Hey, Mio?"

The call of my name drew my attention from the bright colours of the surrounding festival (and the yaki imo stand I had been reall focussing on with its vendor calling out a chant that gave me a nostalgic need to taste the sweet potato treat again) to the tall girl who had her arm hooked through mine. Our long furisode sleeves twined together and swung with our slow steps; clashing as much as our personalities did. Yuna was a sweet and gentle girl that had the occasional bout of stubborness that you weren't likely to forget. The pink furisode with striking splashes of yellow and green she wore showed off her personality well. I, on the other hand, was to-the-point and loud and rough. The simple screaming red colour of my own furisode exemplified that better than any other design possibly could. I hummed in curious response as my eyes drifted slowly back towards the yaki imo stand. I could do with one of those right now. Nostalgic need was clawing at my belly.

"I wanna go there."

Once again my eyes were dragged from the food vendor to see what had captured Yuna's interest. A snort, reminiscent of an amused pig in brutal honestly, tore from my nose with reckless abandon. "You're kidding. It's bullshit, Yuna."

Yuna pouted and tugged at my arm, dragging me forcefully towards the fortune teller's tent. "Too bad. I think it'll be interesting so we're going."

I followed my best friend reluctantly, a grumpy pout forming on my own face. I had no interest in theiving bullshit like fortune telling. I could already guess what sort of dry pre-manufactured fortune the teller would spout. 'You will soon find your true love, but first you need to buy this expensive piece of shit for it to work.' Fortunes were usually followed by an urgent need to buy this or that expensive trinket to make sure the fortune came true. I didn't have the mindless patience to believe in a telling of your future that would only come true if you threw cash at the teller.

We side-stepped a group of children playing _Kagome Kagome _right outside the tent and Yuna released my arm from her fierce grip. She disappeared into the tent immediately, mercifully leaving me to sit outside. I busied myself with taking a seat on the wooden bench just outside the tent and turned my attention on the group of children giggling and passing around a silky length of material. A little boy with cropped black hair was dubbed the Ogre and was quickly surrounded by a linked chain of friends as he tied the material around his head.

"_Kagome, Kagome_," the children sang in unison. I found myself humming along with the slow, almost creepy song as I watched the group.

_The bird is in the basket_  
_When, oh when will it come out_  
_In the night of dawn_  
_The crane and the turtle slipped_

I licked my lips and whispered the last line in unison with the children. "_Who is behind you now?_"

Kagome Kagome had been one of my favourite games as a child. I would skip in a circle and sing until I was falling down dizzy with a throat that felt like it had been rubbed raw with sandpaper. For such simple mechanics, that game seemed to never grow boring. As long as I had a group of friends, I was happy to keep playing it until we were all forced back home by our parents. Finding your executioner was always an exciting thing. It bought no end of fun to me and my friends.

The children played two more rounds of the game, just as content with repeatedly playing as I remembered being, before the tent flaps rustled by my shoulder and Yuna emerged, clutching tightly to a Daruma doll with one painted eye.

How did I know?

"She told me that I'll find my true love this year!" Yuna giggled and span in a circle, holding her Daruma doll to her chest. She held it out for me to look at. White, decorated with bold streaks of gold.

I jumped up and gave my own excited giggle. "This year? That's amazing!" A love fortune was probably the only thing that would interest me. Who wouldn't want to know about who they'd fall in love with? "Did she say anything else about it? Come one, tell me!"

Yuna just shook her head and pulled back the tent flap. "Go in and get your own fortune. We can talk about them when you have yours too." She bit her lip excitedly. "Maybe you'll get a love fortune, too! How exciting would that be?"

I had to admit, that would be pretty exciting. I'd love to hear all about the man I would fall in love with. My mind was already running through possibilities as I ducked into the tent. Would he be tall? Handsome? Would he be a man of good wealth? Wouldn't it be just incredible if I fell in love with a tall, handsome man that came from a lot of money?

The interior of the tent was hard to see with the thick smoke curling from a criminal number of incense burners dotted around. I coughed into a curled fist as I scrunched my nose against the penetrating bitter scent. A sweep of the room told me that, while it was packed with all sorts of trinkets ready to be sold off to any hapless sap that thought that these fortunes would be true, there wasn't a teller present. Confusion brought my brows together. From what I could see, the only exit of the tent was the one that I was stood in. The teller couldn't have left without Yuna and I seeing her. I certainly hadn't seen an old kook while Yuna and I were squealing over Yuna's fortune.

Disappointment and relief swept through me in equal parts. There was a part of me that wanted to have my fortune read, and be told about the man I would fall in love with. An equally large part of me still thought that it was all bull and a total waste of my time. A fortune couldn't be real. Nothing as wooly as predicting the future could actually be real.

I took a few steps into the tent and looked around again, just to make sure I hadn't missed the old woman. She could have been hiding behind large red Daruma dolls stacked in the back corner. No, she really wasn't in the tent.

I made my mind up to just sit among the large plush pillows piled in the centre of the tent for a few minutes. That'd give me ample time to come up with a fake fortune to share with Yuna, and it would save me from having to actually hear my own fortune.

The pillows were comfortable, I noticed, as I dropped to my knees admist them and shifted around so my legs were curled underneath me. I folded my hands together atop my lap and looked around. If I hadn't thought this place was a crock of shit before, the lines of Daruma dolls in colours I had never seen a doll to be told me that right away. Had the woman painted them odd colours and given her own meaning to them? How stupid.

"Who is behind you now?" The whispering sing-song voice in my ear, and the cold breath that ticked over my neck and cheek because of that voice, made me jump and yelp out a strangled 'fuck' as I clutched at my chest over my heart. The woman hunched over me was smaller than my own tiny four foot ten and swaddled in layers upon layers of purple cloth. Her wrinkled face was framed with shaggy white hair and inset with glassy black eyes. A gnarled grin stretched her thin lips. "Come, let me see that lamp of yours, little Mio. Let me see what your future beholds."

I swallowed back the lump that had formed in my throat and watched warily as the woman hobbled around the pile of cushions and dropped to kneel opposite me. She reached out, patting the top of my hand before drawing it from my lap and into hers. She tipped my palm upwards and began tracing the creases and lines on my skin. My hand trembled slightly in her grasp.

"You're an old soul, girl. This isn't where you belong." Nails scraped down over the blue veins of my wrist. "Hm… Ah, there. You belong there." A quiet croon left her lips. "You've got quite a journey ahead of you, girl. Adventure. Hardship. Love." Here was where I perked up, thoroughly interested. Love was what I wanted to know. "That love. It's real. Oh, you silly girl, don't doubt it," she scolded, nails biting into my wrist. "Never doubt love. He's your husband! Yes, yes, he'll do you well. It's true and pure. So beautiful. "

A husband? I was going to get married, and from the sound of it, the loved that we would share would be beautiful.

"Tenseiga will cry for you." I didn't recognise the word tenseiga. What was that? A name of something? The sudden shift from love to something crying for me made me feel a little uncomfortable. "You'll cheat death. Again and again. The human that refuses to die, he'll call you." I echoed the morbid word, my hand twitching in hers. Death? The teller's nails bit into my skin, anchoring me in place. "Fear not, girl, you'll cheat it." I wasn't too sure that comforted me. "Beware the healing man, dear girl." The quick change in subject of my fortune was starting to confuse me. I knew fortunes were never meant to be perfectly straight forward. Some interpretation was necessary, but this fortune was changing with the wind.

A gnarled hand cupped my cheek gently and my slate grey eyes lifted to meet the pitch of the teller's. She had a soft look in her eye as her thumb stroked my cheek, just like my mother used to when she'd wipe away tears. "The healing man will be your death," she whispered. "Run from him. Find your way home. Go to your daughter. Limp. Fall. Protect her from hungry teeth."

Trying to make sense of these fortunes was giving me a headache. I pulled away, but my wrist was seized in a tight hold that pinched my skin sharply. "Let go of me. Please."

The old woman shook her head. "This is important, girl. Find the man with the golden soul. He'll be your executioner. Your salvation. Let the heat lead you to him." Speaking of heat, the stinging pinch of my skin was beginning to burn. It wasn't the sort of burn I associated with being pinched. With a group of friends like I had, pinch burns weren't uncommon. This wasn't that. This felt more like the times I'd burnt myself on a hot pan while was starting to get really painful.

Panicking now, and with a pained gasp, I threw my weight backwards and tore my wrist from her grip. The sensitive burned skin of my wrist screaped painfully against the cotton of my furisode as I clutched my arm to my chest, but I hardly paid attention to it at all as I backtracked, pushing myself back towards the exit.

"Let that serve as a reminder to you," the woman called out as I pushed myself to my feet and stole out of the tent. "Find the man with the golden soul!"

With my head down, I hurried right past Yuna and barreled straight into someone. Arms wrapped around me to steady me. "Hey, are you all right?" As my head tilted back to get a look at the warmest brown eyes I had ever seen, all I could notice was how strangely cold the man's body felt against my own. I was no blushing virgin. I'd felt many a man's body against my own in the past, of all temperatures. I'd been with men that had cold, clammy skin and men that felt like a furnace was burning under their skin, but this man felt like ice through the fabric of my furisode. His brows drew together with worry. "You okay?" he repeated, hands sliding up my arms to rest on my shoulders.

I shook myself back into reality and took a half step backwards. His hands fell from my shoulders and slid back down my arms to encircle my wrists. I hissed in pain as fingers brushed against my burnt skin. "You're hurt," he noticed immediately, pulling my hand up to get a look at my wrist. "That looks nasty. Here, there's a medical tent not too far away. Let's get you looked at."

I found myself sat on a bench with the man knelt in front of me, tending to the burn on my wrist without really knowing how I got there. I felt out of sorts, like my brain wasn't quite matching up with my body.

"You're lucky you bumped into me," the man sad with a friendly grin as he began unpacking a first aid kit. "I'm volunteering here in the medical tent tonight to get a bit of experience. I'm at Todai at the moment, training to be an MD. Wow, this is really weird. How'd you manage to burn it into this shape?"

The painful mark on my wrist was burnt in the shape of an almost perfect crescent moon. "I don't know," I muttered through stiff lips.

"Oh, she does speak!" the man joked. "I'm Saburo. Think you can tell me your name?"

I huffed. "Of course I can speak. I think being burned by some crazy old woman is enough to warrant a little shocked silence, don't you?"

"Someone did this to you?" The worry was back in his eyes.

Would anyone believe me if I told them that a woman burned a crescent moon into my wrist with her bare hands? "No, it was an accident. Just a freak accident." Freak was right. I was pretty sure that I'd never be able to tell anyone what really happened. I would have elaborated, but my attention was caught by a family of three rushing into a tent. A little girl was kimping on a bloody leg and whimpering quietly as she was ushered up to sit on the bench next to me.

"Oh, Kagome, be brave. You'll be just fine once you've been patched up." From what I could tell, the girl was being very brave. Her whimpering was already fading out and she didn't have tears in her eyes. She just sat patiently on the bench, waiting for someone to come to her.

I hissed when Saburo spread something onto my wrist and the girl leaned over to look at my wrist in interest. "That looks like it hurts."

"It does." It stung a hell of a lot more now it was being cleaned, though.

"You're not crying, though." Her gaze turned up to me and I was taken aback by the brilliant crystalline blue colour of her eyes. The only people I had ever seen with blue eyes had been Westerners, but this girl was very clearly a Japanese native. "You must be very brave." A grinned a big gap-toothed smile and continued on without missing a beat. "I'm Kagome."

He hand grasped my arm and I was filled with a warmth I had never felt before, like the touch of her hand was bringing with it the most wonderful feeling of warmth and belonging. A feeling that I had always dreamed of when thinking about being taken into a lover's arms. To feel it from a little girl that couldn't be any older than ten was a very strange thing.

"I'm Mio," I replied with a tiny smile.

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**I apologise greatly for anything Mio says in this chapter that insults anyone or their beliefs. Her opinions and mine are very different on many matters; among those the importance of objects in faith. I'm religious myself and prey to many 'trinkets.' That is important to me. Mio has a different belief that is, I know, quite insulting to those who do have beliefs that involve objects of any kind. I apologise to anyone that felt insulted or attacked by the mention of Mio's opinions here.**

**Once I get the first chapter up rewritten, I'll be taking down all the chapters after this one and rebuilding the fic from there. There'll be a notieable change in plot, a change in writing style and a change in chapter length after this.**


	2. Scroll One

**Here's the first chapter of the improved version of Kagome Kagome, with the correct title written on it now. Exciting things!**

**Thank you **_The Opheliac _**for showing your support of my decision to rewrite this fic. I hope I don't disappoint you with the new way the fic will be going.**

**Thanks for everyone's patience with the updates. I promise I'll try to get them out quickly and make up for the big gap and the fact that I'm taking down 80% of the fic now.**

**If there's any terminology or any practises written here that you don't understand, tell me in a review and I'll start putting a glossary or something at the bottom of the chapters, keep you guys informed. I research extensively for my fanfiction to try and keep with the culture the fic is based in. There'll be a lot of references to Japanese culture that maybe some people wont know or understand. If you want to know about something I've written about and don't want to go research yourself, ask and I shall tell! I dont want people getting bored of the fic because they're confused by some of the cultural bits in it.**

**Now, without any further wait, enjoy the second version of the first chapter!**

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**Kagome Kagome**

Scroll One

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**Seven years later**

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A serene smile curled my lips as students chattered excitedly with each other around me. The chance to leave the school and go on a trip was a cause of excitement for all the students, even if they were only going to another district to see a shrine.

"Don't fall behind," I called over my shoulder to the stragglers at the back of the group as the tall staircase leading up to the shrine came into view. Up ahead of us the clusters of students were beginning to merge into one big huddle around the steps, waiting impatiently for everyone to group together before we made our way up to meet the shrine keepers.

"Is everyone here?" called the voice of Yuto Gensai, the teacher responsible for all the teenagers flocking around. "Where's miss Hayashi?"

I raised my arm to gain his attention as I shifted around the edge of the group to get to him. As his teaching assistant, and the best at first aid in the handful of teachers that had taken time time to organise this trip, it was important for people to know where I was at all times. If one of the students got hurt, I would be the one that they'd go to. "Ah, there you are, Mio. All right, we'll do a role call now. Listen out for your names."

Thankfully we hadn't lost any students during the train ride and short walk here, so we ushered the students up to shrine and allowed the old shrine priest to take over the crowd. He was very enthusiastic with telling them the history of the shrine and the legend of an incredible jewel that could grant anyone who held it a wish.

"What would you wish for if you had the Jewel of Four Souls, Mio?"

I looked up at Yuto out of the corner of my eyes as his hand rested on my shoulder. He gave me a friendly smile, which I returned in kind. "I don't know, Yuto. I'm tempted to say something cheesy like world peace, but I don't think I'm quite so selfless. I'd probably wish for a big new house, or to win the lottery."

"Not a big diamond ring? You and Saburo have been together for a while now, haven't you? How many years has it been? Five?"

My gaze flickered back to the priest. "Seven. We've been together for seven years now."

"And no ring?"

I bit the inside of my cheek. Actually there was a ring. One that Saburo kept in his bedside table and asked if I would wear on an almost weekly basis. "No ring. We just don't think it's time to get married yet. We're both still only in our twenties and there's so much more to life than getting married and settling down. An engagement ring is a very Western idea, Yuto. Is Maria influencing you that much?" For the past three years Yuto had been dating a lovely American woman. She was sweet, but she had some very strange customs that Yuto was slowly but surely picking up.

"Why, miss Hayashi, if I didn't know you better, I would think you were teasing me." Yuto arched a brow and I smiled indulgently back at him. He shook his head with a small smile of his own. "You picked well. I've never been to this shrine, but it's quite beautiful."

I would let him think that I had put a lot of effort into picking this shrine. Truthfully, I had picked a handful of shrines that we could have visited and whittled down my choices playing far too many games of janken with Saburo. Eventually this shrine had won out with a well-placed rock on Saburo's part. I did have to admit, I was glad Saburo had won that game of janken. This shrine really was beautiful, with an incredible tree at the centre and beautiful buildings around it. The legends the priest was reciting to the students were incredibly interesting, too. Ancient legends, especially those that included demons, were something that I adored. All throughout my university degree in Japanese history, I had spent a great deal of time focussing on mythology. From Akaname to the Zuijin, I had read of every mythological creature that I possibly could.

"A half demon pinned to a tree by his scorned lover. That sounds right up your alley, Mio," Yuto teased, tugging on a lock of my short light brown hair.

"Just because I like Demonology, doesn't mean I like trajedy. I think it's quite a sad tale. I wonder if he was ever released from the tree. Wouldn't it be sweet if he found his true love after being released?"

"I _know _love stories aren't your thing. You'd rather watch demons duke it out in a battle to death than witness anything romantic."

I clutched the strap of the first aid kit slung over me and shrugged my shoulders. "Sometimes it's nice to think someone found love. Who wouldn't want to be in love?" Everyone wished for love, whether they admitted it or not. To be loved by someone was a person's greatest desire. "It looks like the stories are over. Let's go take a look around. I want to see the well." The well was this shrine's greatest man-made artefact, at over five hundred years old. I wanted to get a good look at it.

"For such a delicate flower, you have some strange interests, Mio. The bone-eater's well?" Despite his complaining, Yuto followed me towards the well house.

"It was called the bone-eater's well because it was built to dispose of the demons that were slain by the villagers while they were protecting their crops and the Jewel of Four Souls." I had eaten up any legend that I could find on this place after janken had decided that this was where we were going for the trip. "After throwing the corpses in the well, they found that a few days later, the corpses would be gone without any warning or reason. One day there, the next not. It was coined bone-eater because of that."

The two of us stepped down into the well house and looked around the old wooden building. I leaned over the well on the tips of my toes to get a look inisde. What was inside made me smile. "Look, they've put bones in there to live up to its name." Tourism at its finest. I had no doubt that they'd gotten the stripped bones from a butcher's somewhere. "Do you think it was a pig or cow they used?"

Yuto shook his head slowly. "I don't know how someone as tiny and adorable as you can talk about corpses like you do without batting an eyelid." At an impressively small height of four foot ten and a desire to always wear some form of pink in my clothing choices, and most of the time wear a flower in my hair, I had been dubbed as adorable by quite a few of my colleagues.

"It's a gift."I leant against the beaten old wood, flinching in surprise when I felt heat radiating through me. "It's warm." I ran my palm carefully over the wood. It felt hot. It was a heat that I had felt before. It felt just like that girl Kagome's hand had felt against my forearm at that festival all those years ago. After identifying the source of the memory, I took a measured step back; just enough so I wasn't touching the well any more. I had been careful in the first few years after that fortune to not do anything that would remind me of that night. After so long trying, it had become habit. I hadn't openly thought of that terrible event since I had gotten a tattoo over the burn on my wrist at twenty three. "I think I'm going to go ask around and see if any of the legends have stuck in the students' minds."

With a little smile, I raised my hand in farewell and disappeared up the steps of the well house. I was at the top of the stairs when I turned a glance over my shoulder to give the well a worried look. My right hand had subconsciously moved to clasp around my left wrist and hold it to my chest.

What was wrong with that well?

* * *

"She said what?" laughed my long-time boyfriend as we, Yuto and Maria sat around a table in a small tempura restaraunt. Weekly meals were something of a tradition between us when Saburo had the chance around his duties at the hospital. Saburo had known Yuta since their childhood years and the sheer luck that led me to become Yuta's teaching assistant wasn't something any of us could ignore. Becoming a close-knit group of friends - with the ability to double date - had led to many nights at bars or restaraunts. A handful of times we'd even been travelling together. That had led to Maria and I bonding in hotsprings when I was allowed into them.

"That it was warm," Yuta confided conspiratorially behind his hand, in a mock whisper clearly loud enough for me to hear. I shook my head slowly as I bit into a tempura shrimp.

"Warm?" Saburo's hand founds its way to the small of my back. For the first time in a long time, I seemed to register the icy chill of his touch through the cardigan I wore. "How could a well be warm?"

"Hell if I know. Ask her."

All attention turned to me. I tipped my chin upwards just slightly and made them all wait as I poured the rest of my beer into my glass and repeated the action with Saburo's beer. "Why would I know why it was warm?" was my eventual reply. Maria and Saburo both gave an exasperated sigh, while Yuto chuckled. "It just felt...warm. I couldn't give you a reason even if I wanted to."

Conversation over, new ones bubbled up. Saburo and Yuta began chattering to each other about sport, while Maria broached a repeat topic. Going out to Ginza with her and a group of friends to shop and drink. The cold hand at the small of my back fisted tightly around the pink cardigan I was wearing.

With a polite smile, I declined her offer. "Thank you, Maria, but I don't think I would be so comfortable in a large group." The fact that the large group was Maria's friends was left unspoken. Maria, lovely as she was, was a type of person that I wouldn't have become friends with, if not for Yuto. She was loud and open to my quiet and reserved. It wasn't an easy match.

After a little more fishing for her desired response, Maria gave up and let the topic rest until our next weekly meeting.

Dinner was over soon after that and Saburo and Yuta began their usual tradition of deciding who was going to pay for this weeks meal. Janken.

Both meant leant over the table, holding out their closed fists. "Starting with rock," they began in their distant 'concentrating' voices. Maria and I shared a fond eye roll. "Janken... pon!" Saburo stood with an excited woop that drew the attention of a few people sat at tables around us. Saburo had won with his lucky rock. Yuta was paying for the four of us this week.

* * *

"What's this?"

I looked up from the book I had been reading, curled up comfortably in bed with a mug of hot chocolate and a box of meltykiss at my elbow. Saburo stood in the doorway of our bedroom, holding a pink charm up for my viewing. I recognised it immedaitely as the replica Jewel of Four Souls that I had bought from the Higurashi shrine during the school trip. I licked my lips nervously and set down my book. Saburo had a very strong view on buying keepsakes and trinkets. While I liked having a keepsake from everywhere I went, and kept them carefully displayed in a glass cabinet in the main room or proudly attached to my keys or phone, Saburo saw it as a waste of money and space.

More than once we had argued on the subject.

The set of his jaw told me that this would develop quickly into one such argument.

"It's only small," I began. I was careful with my approach. I wanted to avoid as much of an argument as I could. "It wasn't expensive and I can keep it on my keys so it won't take up any more room in the cabinet."

Saburo began the slow approach to the bed that he knew intimidated me.

I shifted slightly when he sat down at my hip and tensed slightly when his cold hand perched in the crook of my neck and shoulder. "They don't seem expensive, baby, but with the amount of shrines you go to, the price mounts up. You know we're struggling a bit with money right now." His voice was deceptive soft.

I braced myself.

* * *

I needed to start going to the gym. It was embarrassing when a flight of stairs could leave you panting and sweaty at the fine age of twenty six.

Recovered from what shouldn't have been an intense workout session, I now didn't know what to do. The decision to come here had been made without much thought while I had been at the train station on the way home for work. I had been about to pay for the ticket to get to the station near my apartment in Shibuya, but in a decision that wasn't quite thought out, I had bought a ticket to the station just around the corner from the Higurashi shrine.

Saburo wouldn't be pleased with me if he found out.

I faltered in the first step into the shrine and sighed softly.

What was I doing here? I hadn't thought about what I was going to do here when I had gotten on the train, but now I was here, I was second guessing my decision. This was stupid.

I turned around to make my way back down the stairs just as someone called out to me. "Miss Hayashi, right?" I recognised that voice and turned around politely. Stood in the doorway of the main building of the shrine - what I guessed was the priest's home - was the woman that I had arranged the school trip with: Mayuri Higurashi. She had a bright smile on her face. "I thought it was you. What can I do for you?"

Immediately, I bowed to the woman. "Thank you for allowing my class to visit last week. The students thoroughly enjoyed the experience."

She smiled in return and took a few steps forwards. "We're happy to teach students about the shrine. It's nice that they're taking an interest in our history." She wrapped her cardigan, one very similar to my own, tighter around herself. "It's chilly this afternoon. Autumn is coming fast."

September came with it chilly weather. I'd be changing my wardrobe to warmer clothes soon. "I'm not looking forwards to losing my skirts." Skirts were a staple of my wardrobe during spring and summer, but I was sensitive to the cold and had to wear more covering clothes during the winter. I took a quick glance around the shrine, settling on the well house. "You must get a lot of snow here. I can imagine it's not pleasant to clear it all out."

"You feel a connection with the well."

"I'm sorry, what?"

My attention snapped back to the woman. She was smiling that bright smile again. "The well. You feel a connection to it, don't you?"

"Excuse me?" I didn't quite believe that I was hearing someone voice was I was still trying to work my mind around myself.

"This might just be the babbling of a silly old woman, but I think you do know what I mean. There's just something about this place that draws people to it. I felt it when I first came here almost twenty years ago. This place just feels so...warm. It's the tree for me. The sacred tree has been such a big part of my life. Every time I look at it, I feel at peace." Mayuri moved forwards and I followed after her. "I think you feel that with the well."

I did. That heat that I felt was scary to me, with the memory of the bad fortune attached to it, but there was a big part of it that made me feel incredible; good and safe and like I belonged. I hadn't felt such a strong sense of belonging since the little Kagome girl had touched me.

"What does that feeling mean?" I asked with a sigh as I watched her caress the rough bark of the ancient tree. What did it mean if I felt like I belonged here at the shrine? Should I give up my job and ask for one here to make my life complete? Preposterous.

"It means whatever you want it to mean, miss Hayashi. To belong somewhere is what you make of it, not what other people tell you what it means." Her hand stroked over the tree again. "Go spend some time with the well. That's what you really came here for, isn't it? I'll make you some tea."

"Thank you." I was already half way to the well house before I stopped and turned. "Thank you very much, Mrs Higurashi."

That short talk with Mrs Higurashi made me feel a lot less scared to enjoy the warm feeling the well gave me.

* * *

Visiting the shrine became a bit of a new tradition over the next week. After work I would take the train to the shrine and come visit the well. I would sit there for an hour or so before making my way back to Shibuya. Every day, just a few minutes after I arrived, Mayuri, who had insisted I call her such (I had extended the same invitation immediately), would appear at the doors of the well house with a steaming mug of tea in hand. We would chat idly for a little while before she left to go get dinner sorted for her father and son.

Sitting with my back pressed against the well and a warm mug of tea in my hands made me feel...what had Mayuri said a few days ago? At peace. Sat in the well house, I felt at peace; like nothing could ever get to me. It was incredible.

I upended my mug, swallowing down the last of the brew before rising to my feet. As I padded up the wooden steps, I felt a sharp stab in the sole of my left foot. The shock of pain almost made me drop the mug. I juggled it int the air before I finally got a good grip on it and hopped the last step. I sat and pulled my foot up so I could get a look at it. On the heel of my foot, along the line where my foot met the sandal I wore, was a bead of blood. "Must be a splinter," I murmured, setting the mug down at my hip.

I wiped the blood away and squeezed around the pinprick to see if I had a splinter lodged into my foot. A few drops of blood and a small throbbing feeling beginning to mount in my heel, I decided that if there was a splinter there, it was buried deep and I wouldn't be able to get it out right now. Saburo would have to get a look at it when he got home.

I left the mug next to the front door of the main shrine building as I passed it.

I had a small limp in my step as the throbbing skin on my heel brushed against the sandal with every step I took. It made me just a second late for the train. A business man who'd also been making a dash for the train and just missed it gave me a sympathetic look as the two of us set to waiting for the next train.

Thankfully the rest of the trip home was uneventful.

Getting in the door wasn't so uneventful, though. I froze as soon as I opened the door. Lined up neatly in the shoe rack was a pair of black loafers that I recognised immedaitely. For the first time in months, Saburo was back on time. As a doctor, especially an ER doctor, he spent a lot of extra time at work. His dedication to being a doctor had bothered me for the first few years of our relationship. He studied so much that we didn't have a huge amount of time to spend together. I'd gotten used to that eventually. His lack of presence didn't bother me much now. In fact, it had become convenient. Saburo hadn't known about me going to the shrine. I just made a point of going straight after work, when I knew that he wouldn't be home.

After ridding myself of my sandals, I shuffled forwards slowly, trying not to press my heel to the floor. Cleaning blood up off the floor wasn't my idea of a good way to spend the evening.

"Saburo?"

He was sat at the dining table, reading the newspaper. He ignored me as I limped past him to the kitchen. This was the calm before the storm. I'd take advantage of that calm while I could.

A few minutes later, I sat down opposite him at the dining table and set a steaming mug of tea in front of him. I sipped at my own tea delicately before setting the cup down.

"What did you do to your foot?"

"I think I got a splinter in it. I tried to squeeze it out but I didn't get anything. It must have pushed deep." He was angry that I didn't tell him where I was but Saburo always cared about my health. If I had a wound, he would make sure to check it over. Having a doctor for a boyfriend was handy when you were accident prone.

"Let me take a look." A moment later he was on his knees with my foot held carefully in his freezing hands. "This reminds me of when we first met. I was treating you then, as well. Do you remember?"

"Of course." I pulled back the sleeve of my cardigan. Amidst a green-tinted bruise was the crescet shaped scar covered over with grey-blue crescent tattoo. At twenty two, and already addicted to ink after having tattoos across my back and shoulders, I had decided to get the burn covered. The decision to have it covered in the same shape as the actual burn stemmed from the idea that getting a tattoo was my choice, whilst the burn wasn't my choice at all. I could have had it covered up with something else, but the burnt flesh would have distorted the image. I didn't want a sub-par tattoo on my skin. "How could I forget?"

Saburo smiled softly as he patted the side of my foot. "There's nothing in it. It just have been a snag rather than a splinter. Came out as you lifted your foot." He leaned up to press a slow, lingering kiss to my lips. "I'm disappointed that you didn't tell me you were going out after you finished work. It worried me when you weren't back and I hadn't gotten a text."

"I'm sorry. I got distracted and then I was on the train so I couldn't really call." It was a poor excuse. I couldn't call on a train, but nothing stopped me from texting him. "I'll let you know next time I'm not going to be home on time." I leaned forwards to kiss him again, but he stood before I could and took his seat again.

"Go get dinner on."

* * *

I had hoped that because there wasn't anything in the puncture in my foot that it would be fine, but walking to the train station to get to work in the morning, I found myself still limping. Even in the afternoon, when I made my way to the Higurashi shrine (it was unheard of for Saburo to arrive home on time twice in a row so I felt safe going there again) I was still limping.

Ten minutes after I had eased myself onto the floor beside the well, Mayuri appeared like an angel with a mug of tea and a strip of tablets. "I noticed you were limping," she explained in way of greeting. "So I bought out some Ibuprofen."

"Thank you." I accepted the mug and two tablets from the strip, swallowing them back eagerly. A reprieve from the niggling pain would be nice. A quick chat about our days ensued before Mayuri left to begin preparing dinner for her family.

That left me alone to relax against the well and enjoy the comforting heat coming from the wood. The tension of my shoulders began to fade as the heat seeped through me. I let out a content sigh as I sipped at the steaming tea.

A deep meow drew me from my thoughts. Sat on the steps opposite me was a lump of a cat. He was big and a striking mix of white, ginger and black. He was staring right at me with big, round eyes. "Hey there," I said in a soft high-pitched voice I used only for animals. The cat gave its strange-toned meow again, and his tail flicked. After a moment of appraising me in the 'holier than thou' way all cats managed to do effortlessly, the cat stood and plodded down the steps. He perched in my lap and gave a loud purr.

"I must be in for some real luck if you're here." I scratched behind his ear and smiled when his purring got louder. "Aren't you sweet?"

The two of us sat contentedly together like the for half an hour before I decided that I needed to get home just in case Saburo did get home on time. Another fight was to be avoided at all costs. "Come on, sweet, I need to get going." Grumbling in annoyance, the cat stayed on my lap even as I gently pushed at him. His growl raised in volume as I tried to hook my hands under him and lift him off me. I hated angering cats, but I really did have to go.

He huffed loudly when I finally freed myself of him and stood. He was on my feet imediately, winding around my ankles and purring again. I tried to raised my foot high and step over him, but as I lifted my foot, he sat atop my foot, pushing me backwards. I yelped and flung my arms out to catch myself as my thigh bumped painfully against the well. I toppled further backwards, falling head over teakettle into the well. Nails broke as they tried desperately and failed to grasp at the wooden lip of the well.

A throb of pain exploded in the back of my head as it collided with the well wall on the way down.

The world faded to black before I even hit the bottom.

* * *

**It took two days to write this chapter up in full, and in those days, I decided that I would be providing the glossary I said that you had to ask for at the top of the chapter. I'll be starting from the beginning of the chapter and working my way down.**

**Engagement rings - **It's quite a new thing in Japan to propose with an engagement ring. Most people still don't. Quite a few Japanese marriages don't even have wedding rings. Due to the timeframe of the fic, Mio really wouldn't care about having an engagement ring.

**Janken - **The Japanese version of _Rock Paper Scissors. _Janken is a big part of decision-making in Japanese culture. The two participants start by saying a phrase that translates to 'starting with rock' then chant janken pon before throwing out their choice. The same as in Western culture paper beats rock, scissors beats paper and rock beats scissors.

**Tempura - **Tempura is battered and deep fried seafood or vegetables. There are whole restaraunts dedicated to it in Japan and, from experience, I can tell you that they're wonderful.

**Hotsprings - **Onsen in Japanese - some hotsprings have strict rules about allowing access to people that have tattoos. There are hotsprings in Japan that won't let you in even if you have temporary tattoos on. As Mio has numerous tattoos, there'll be quite a few places that wouldn't allow her in.

**Ginza - **A district in Tokyo known for its high-end shops.

**Meltykiss - **A brand of Japanese chocolates that are like truffles and in a lot of different flavours. They're usually sold individually wrapped and them packed in small boxes.

**Shoes - **It's a tradition in Japan to remove your shoes in the entryway of the house, called the genkan, then step up into the home. The shoes are usually lined up neatly in the genkan, or placed on a shoe rack.

**Burn tattoo - **Because burn scars are soft scar tissue, its entirely possible to tattoo burnt flesh, but the tattoo looks distorted more often than not. It takes a very talented tattoo artist to tattoo on burnt skin and achieve a tattoo that doesnt look distorted.

**Text - **Its more common now for the Japanese to email than to text, but twenty years ago, phones were just comercially replacing pagers. In 1995 the short messaging system (SMS) was the texting system of choice.

**Calling - **There are a few places in Japan where using a phone is considered bad manners. On trains, calling people is considered rude, so Mio is using the fact that she doesn't want to be rude to other people on the train as an excuse for not getting in contact with Saburo. But, as she said, that doesn't give her an excuse for not texting him, because, while it's rude to call people on trains, it's perfectly acceptable to play games or email (but, as in the text section, back then texting was what emails are today).

**Ibuprofen - **From my research, Ibuprofen is one of the brands of choice in Japan for over-the-counter pain killers.

**Calico - **Calico , in the fortune cat figures that you're likely to see around Asian places, is the traditional colouring for fortune cats and is considered the most lucky of all the colourings, according to my research. Another interesting thing about calico is that Buyo is male and it's very rare for there to be male calico cats, as the calico colouring is passed along in females.

**If there's anything you don't understand but I've missed from this chapter, don't be afraid to say so! I'll happily explain anything anyone doesnt understand.**

**I know there's a high possibility that my information is wrong. I haven't been to Japan in four years now, so I'm not up to date with current information, and I wasn't in Japan in 1995, so there'll be some things that I wouldn't know, no matter how much research I've done. If you know any of my research to be wrong, please let me know. I like knowing that my information is right and, if it's not, having the chance to change it and make it right.**

* * *

**So we've got another few big changes from the original in this chapter. Mio has friends. Saburo has more of a presence. Saburo isn't as much of an ass. Mayuri has more of a presence. Buyo becomes somewhat important. He'll be important again in the future.**

**Now, I'm getting rid of all chapters after this one and I'll be uploading all new chapters from now on. **

**I hope you all enjoy!**


	3. Scroll Two

**Chapter two, take two!**

**For all of readers that did read the first version, here's where you'll really begin to see changes in the fic. There were a lot of changes in the prologue and first chapter, but this will show a big change in direction.**

**Thank you for everyone that's read the last chapter!**

**Soon I'll be back on a schedule for you guys. And this time I'll actually be keeping to that schedule.**

**Let's get down to business!**

* * *

**Kagome Kagome**

Scroll Two

* * *

The first thing I registered was the pain blooming in the back of my head. Next was the pain throbbing in my left ankle. A quite whimper warbled from my throat as my body curled into the dirt.

What just happened?

My memory was slow, but it was slowly coming back to me. I'd tripped over the calico cat and fallen into the well. From the monster headache I was sporting, I guess I had cracked my head against the well wall. It had to have been the stone built up on the inside of the well wall. Wood was tough, but I wasn't sure that it coud create such a nasty pain.

Shifting lethargically, I pulled myself to sit up. My vision wasn't focussing quite right. It was blurry around the edges. After a long moment, I realised that it was lighter than I remember it being when I had shifted the cat off my lap. Panic flashed through me. If it was lighter, did that mean I had been out throughout the night? No, no. I forced myself to calm down. I couldn't have. I was thinking clearly, even with the splitting headache and the quiet ringing I could hear echoing in my ears. There was no way I could have been out for hours.

"So much for being lucky," I whimpered, clutching at the back of my head. My hair was wet and sticky. "Please just be a puddle."

After already declaring that I was unlucky, it was only natural that I hadn't fallen into a puddle. When my blurry eyes focussed as best they could on the fingers that I held in front of my face, they were slick and stained red. Not covered, I noticed with relief. There was definitely a fair amount of blood on my fingers, but it was just a smear on the skin. I had a laceration, but at best, it was small. I was immensely pleased with the fact that I could remember such a long word like laceration. It meant that the damage was pretty superficial.

Inhaling deeply, I pushed myself up to my feet. I fought against a wave of diziness and grasped at a large stone in the wall of the well to keep myself balanced enough not to fall ass over teakettle a second time. "Okay, Mio," I coached myself. "Let's get out of this well. Mayuri can help me from there."

Looking up to gague what I needed to do to escape this tight little well, I saw something that made me question my sanity. Blue sky.

I had become quite intimate with the well house. I could tell you exactly how many planks of wood the roof of the house was made out of and, more importantly, how many holes it had. Three, was the answer to that. The well house roof had three holes, all small. They'd leak when it rained definitely, but they wouldn't show off the mass of blye sky that I saw above me.

Gripping firmly to the rock bricks, I began hoisting myself up. The only way I could find out what was going on would be to look around and find out myself.

I braced myself for the incredible warmth that the wood of the well always emitted, but it never came. The wood felt like ordiniary wood. It was slightly warm under my touch, but that was down to the sun beating down on it, not that paranormal heat I'd been feeling for the past week.

Hoisting myself out of the well only made me more confused as the landscape came into my view. I couldn't see the shrine's main building, or the flight of stairs that winded me every time I walked up or down them, or the view of Tokyo from over the tops of the trees. What I saw was trees. Just trees and beautiful blue skies.

"What's going on?" Grass tickled my sandal-clad feet as I turned in a slow circle. The chill in the air was more biting than I remembered it being and I found myself pulling my thin pink cardingan tighter around my thin body. I couldn't see anything but trees, so at random, I picked a direction and began walking. If I kept walking, I would bump into someone. With a hundred and twenty five million people in the country, there had to be someone close by.

* * *

I was wrong. The forest seemed to go on forever and the burning in my ankle only got worse as I walked. By the time I had broken it and found myself staring out onto an open plain that stretched for miles, it was dark. The sky was breathtaking. It was a wash of perfect black broken up by a beautiful spattering of the brightest stars I had ever seen. Living in a city as big as Tokyo meant stars were a thing of dreams and holidays out in the country.

"Incredible."

Behind me I heard the beating of hooves against dirt.

Approaching at a slow place was a horse drawn cart that looked like it had come straight out of a history book. I reached up to tuck a lock of hair behind a pierced ear as the horse brushed past me. With four pairs of eyes on me, the horse slowed to a stop. The people in the cart looked like they had come from a history book, too. All sported traditional clothing; haori, hakama and kosode between them. Two of the four were men; one of which had a tattoo on his forehead. The two women were the same, sporting tattoos on their foreheads.

I took a measured step back, eyeing the men and women carefully.

The elder of the two women, who looked about Mayuri's age if I had to place an age on her, leant over the side of the cart and beckoned me forwards with a wave of her hand. I couldn't take my eyes off the _dog _printed on her skin. "What way are ya headed?" she asked in a thick accent that I didn't recognise.

"I-I don't know." All the questions about this place that I had been thinking up in the hours that I had been walking fled my mind, leaving behind stuttering nerves. I clutched tighter at my cardigan, holding it closed around my throat.

A warm, welcoming smile spread across the woman's lips. "You're one of us. Come on up here. We'll take you however far you need to go." She reached out and offered me a hand, that I took after a moment's hesitation. Anyone offering me help right now was appreciated. I stumbled on my dud ankle as I climbed up into the cart and immedaitely two of the men reached out to help hoist me up.

"What strange clothes you got, girl," the woman mururmed as she brushed off the pink fabric of my cardigan. "I'm Aguri. You got a name?"

The straw that lined the cart scraped at my bare legs as I curled them under my body and adjusted my skirt over my knees. "Mio."

The man besides me, with long greasy hair draped over his chest, grinned a smile with more gap than tooth. "Pretty name. I'm Gen." His accent was the same as the woman's, as was his tattoo.

The other two passengers yelled out their names all at once. I didn't pick up on either of them, but nodded slowly as if I had, so as not to be rude.

Aguri, clearly reading my nerves, clapped my shoulder with a firm hand. "Calm, girl. We ain't gon hurt ya. Yer safe with us 'til ya get where ya need ta be."

I still clutched at my cardigan.

"That's an odd one, Mio. Never seen a mark like that." Gen nodded at my wrist. I shifted to cover up the crescent tattoo on my skin. "Tahei here has his on his arm. Nasty lot were the ones that marked him, Aye, Tahei?"

"Aye," came the reply from the man guiding the horse. He was the only one that didn't have a tattoo on his forehead. He raised his arm and the sleeve of his haori slid down a muscular forearm to reveal bands of black. "Nasty lot. Don't get yerself caught up north."

Get caught? So their tattoos were criminal markers. Tattoo penalties. Did they think that I was the same? That I had committed a crime and had been marked for it? I had committed crimes, I suppose. As a kid, I had snatched the occassional packet of sweets from a corner shop, but that was the most criminal thing I had ever done and I'd not done anything illegal since I was a kid. Nothing severe enough for such a barbaric ancient practise as a tattoo penalty.

"Those clothes ain't gon be much use to ya soon, Mio," came the soft voice of a girl that couldn't be much older than some of the students I teach. Her long black hair was tied with a length of white ribbon that rested over her left shoulder. "It looks much too thin ta stand up ta the change in weather. I have a spare kosode iffn ya want it."

My grey eyes turned up to her, wide and confused. "I couldn't take it from you." With the dirty and run down appearance of the four of them, I could only image how little they had between them. This would be like taking the clothes from their backs. I couldn't do it.

"No," the girl replied firmly. "We look after our own here. We can't give ya much ta help ya out on ya journey, but if I can help ya beat the cold, I will. Please accept it."

Embarrassingly, I felt the telltale prickle begin in my eyes. A wan smile titled my lips upwards. Kindness from complete strangers wasn't something I encountered often and the fact that these people had so little meant even more to me. If more people were this kind then the world would be a better place. A silly memory of Yuto and I stood in the Higurashi shrine flit through my mind. I had said that if I had the Jewel of Four Souls that I felt I should wish for world peace, hadn't I? The smile urving my lips faded slightly. Yuto. I had no idea where I was now. Would I see Yuto again any time soon?

"Buck up, girl." Aguri tugged at my hair. "We'll get ya some nice hot food when we buckle down for the night. Gen here used ta live 'round these parts. He reckons there's a hot spring not far away. Get you bathed and dressed proper for the weather. How's that sound?"

"Wonderful." It sounded wonderful. Taking the time to wash the dried blood from my hair would make me feel much better. It had gotten past the point of stick now and was flaky, tugging at the laceration painfully if I moved wrong.

* * *

Gen was right. There was a hotspring not too long away and Aguri, the girl (who I'd finally idetified as Yone) and I had taken full advantage of the springs first, after a short burst of arguemnt between Aguri and Gen about who would be taking the springs first. The hot water felt wonderful on my sore ankle. I welcomed the heat.

"Those are some strange tattoos, Mio," Aguri commented as I ran my fingers through my short hair. With my back to her, she could see the full length of the cherry blossom tree and full moon that trailed from my shoulder blades down to the dimples in the base of my spine. It had been my first tattoo. One I got as soon as the first paycheck after I turned eighteen. "I reckon I've never seen anything quite so pretty as that on someone's skin." Fingers tickled my skin and I jumped. "Them's quite some bruises, though, girl. You had a bad lot with a husband?"

Playing along my ribs were dark bruises of varying shades. Those bruises were mirrored on my thighs and arms. Some were in clear hand shapes. "No," I denied immedaitely.

She didn't believe me. "My husband was a foul man too, girl. Not a day went by when he didn't lay a hand on me. Gen's served me better as a husband than that bastard ever did. Given me a child, even if she didn't live to see her first moon."

My brows arched high and I bit at the chance to steer the topic away from abusive men. "Gen?" I certainly wouldn't have placed Gen as Aguri's husband. The two had done nothing but bicker with each other in the time that I knew them. Though, I supposed, some relationships thrived on conflict. Saburo and I had certainly had our moments where conflict was what kept us together.

"Right affectionate two when they want to be, Mio," Yone giggled, rubbing dirt from her cheek. Without dirt on her forehead, the black dot on her forehead stood out sharply.

Anger squeezed my heart. People could be so cruel. The first thing you noticed about these people were the tattoos telling you that they were dangerous. Even I had been instantly wary of them after seeing them. It wasn't fair for them. The four of them had been so wonderfully nice to me. They'd taken me in when they could have just left me on the side of the road, bathed me and clothed me, and would soon be feeding me. From here I could smell the stew Tahei was preparing with meat rations they'd been saving. They'd beeen wonderful people and yet, with one simple crime they had been marked dangerous and hated. They didn't deserve any of it. The fact that they all had to suffer it made me so angry.

"Sickening," Yone continued as she emerged from the hot springs. She squeezed water from her hair as Aguri and I left the water. "I've never met two people so in love." The girl motione for me to come to her. "I'll help you dress. With your strange clothes, I don't reckon you know how to dress in a kosode."

"I can," I replied in a whisper, but moved towards her anyway. Just because I dressed in skirts and t-shirts and cardigans didn't mean that I couldn't put on traditional clothes when I needed to.

She dressed me in a plain purple-coloured kosode that was tatty but warm. It would do me well for the winter months.

"That should do ya, girl. Now let's get us some of Tahei's stew before Gen gets it in his mind that he wants it all," Aguri ordered, pushing my shoulder and urging me towards our camp.

* * *

With my presence the dynamic that the group had altered slightly, but there was a natural flow to the change that made us all comfortable. While we travelled, Tahei was set in charge of keeping the horse on track while the rest of us chatted. Gen and Aguri dominated conversation, but Yone and I still found our chances to talk when we needed to.

When Tahei deemed it time for the horse to rest, Yone was in charge of caring for the animal. Aguri cooked lunch while Gen surveyed the area. Aguri gave me the task of cleaning up pots and bowls after we'd eaten, saying that I couldn't do much with an ankle as weak as mine was at the moment. It was a job Tahei was happy to give up.

Every time we stopped in our journey, this was what we did and I became quite comfortable in my role as cleaner. I appreciated having meals cooked for me. With Saburo, I was the one that cooked. And cleaned. And did the majority of housework. Being a teaching assistant was a lot less taxing than being a doctor, so I'd been told. So, while Saburo rested and de-stressed, I worked around the house.

Being on the road and not having a sink or any other amenities I was used to was hard to deal with, certainly, but I enjoyed not having so many tasks to complete.

It took us four days of travelling before Tahei informed us that we'd be stopping in a town ahead to stock up on supplies.

Said town was a small town at the base of a mountains, I found out the day after, when we arrived at the village.

Mother hen Aguri pounced as soon as we stepped off the cart. She brushed off the shoulders of my kosode then gripped them firmly. "Tahei's told me that this place can get quite dangerous at times. We're close ta a wolf pack here, so stay inside the village and, when ya can, with one of us." She tucked a lock of hair behind my pierced ear then patted my cheek. "We won't be staying here for more than a day or two. We'll gather supplies, rest up then be on our way." She hesitated for a moment. Her mouth opened to say something, but snapped shut again. She patted my shoulder. "Off with ya. Go explore."

The small market area of the village was filled with things that made a history fanatic like me almost squeal with excitement. There were artefacts that I'd only ever seen in history books and museums. Things that, until a few days ago, I would have sold my soul to see.

A stall of farming tools caught my interest. I leaned over the stall, reaching out to touch a scythe. My hand jerked back and I gave a hiss of pain when the stall-owner's hand lashed out to slap mine away. "We don't deal with people like you here. Piss off, you theiving bitch."

I wheeled back a couple of steps, wincing as my ankle burrned in protest over a heavy step, clutching my hand protectively to my chest. I knew I should have expected people to be rude. With tattoos here marking people as criminals, I would have been stupid to think that I would be exempt from people's hatred. Being attacked for having a tattoo was still more than a little affronting. I hadn't been looked at with so much hatred before.

Instead of responding or, strike me down, crying at the rough treatment, I turned on my heel and stalked off, looking out for one of my travelling companions. "Aguri? Tahei?" Aguri had quickly become a parental figure over the past few days. Her mother hen act had gotten to me quick. Tahei on the other hand, while no older than myself, had the strong, silent leader bit going for him. It made me feel safe and protected.

I found Tahei first, trying to barter some rice from a merchant.

"I said theiving bastards like your lot pay double for what I got."

"And I said that's hardly fair." Tahei's voice was hard. The tone I associated with people that wouldn't take others' bullshit. Yuto had perfected that tone in the years the two of us had been teaching together. A teacher needed a 'no bull' tone if they wanted to succeed at what they did. Tahei spared me a quick glance, then double took. He reached out to snag the collar of my kosode and pull me towards him. "My girls are frail and weak. See how skinny she is? We can't afford to pay double to feed her. She'll waste away to nothing."

I didn't appreciate the thinly veiled insult about my small weight, but I stayed silent, looking up at the merchant. If I could help Tahei out by standing here looking pathetic, then I would.

The merchant eyed me down the bridge of his nose. The critical eye soon turned lustful as he gave me more and more attention. I took a half step back against Tahei's chest when the merchant leant over the table to get a better look at me. "Two bags for her," the merchant decided. A small smile curled the edges of my lips. He was going to give us two bags? Maybe not all the merchants here were bad people.

Tahei had obviously gathered something different from what the merchant had said, because I heard a dark sneer sound in my ear and Tahei's hand fisted tighter in the collar of my kosode. "I'm not selling my own." I looked up at Tahei in alarm and when what he said registered, my alarmed gaze turned to the merchant. He wanted to _buy _me? I couldn't press myself any closer to Tahei without mounting him, but I did manage to turn my head so my cheek grazed the thick material of his haori. The magic of this market had just faded quick.

Half a bag was all we could barter in the end, for what I was told was quite a reasonable price. Tahei had gathered quickly that I wasn't quite up to date with the coinage of this place, so he'd given me a crash course in the few coins he had on him. I could identify the coins as mon quite easily, but the value of them had to be taught to me.

As Tahei hauled the rice back to our cart, we were joined by the rest of our entourage. Yone had presented me with a neatly folded faded pink furoshiki cloth emblazoned with a white flower design. 'Ta hold what ya need,' she explained as she held it out for me to take. Another embarrassing moment of choked up gratitude washed over me as I thanked her and held the cloth in my lap. Aguri had claimed that she'd found the social watering hole, so to speak, so the lot of us could clean clothes, ourselves and find out the local gossip in the morning. Gen said he'd found nothing of interested and claimed this village to be the smallest, most useless village he'd ever been in. Tahei and Aguri agreed.

Dinner was a quickly prepared and simple affair. With what little ingredients she had, she'd decided to make Okayu for us. It used a fairly small portion of our small supplies and was rather filling. I was eager to eat when I was handed my bowl. I hadn't had Okayu since I lived with my father and had been recovering from a wicked bout of the flu.

The four of us lounged and ate and chatted idly amongst ourselves. Tahei decided that we'd have all of tomorrow to rest and then carry on heading east the morning after. It gave us plenty of time to relax, get any information that would be helpful to us, and bolster ourselves up for another long ride.

"Village don't have a lot of kids, does it?" Gen commented, tipping his head back and to the left. Leaning against the cart the way he was now, the cart was supporting his head entirely. We all followed his gaze to the small group of children playing not too far from where we'd set up the cart for the night. I counted seven. "Not gon last long if this is their future."

"Mostly girls, too," Aguri pointed out with a shake of her head.

"That might not be everyone," I pointed out logically. Girls and boys didn't always play together. It could be that the majority of the boys were playing somewhere else, or there were more children in their huts. "Look, see, there's another girl there."

Another little girl, with wild black hair and a faded red coloured kosode, was running towards the group. Even from this distance, I could see the grin - and the hole in said grin - on her face. I remembered being that little girl. Late to a party but enthusiastic to join whatever game everyone else was playing. A smile too over my expression as I stirred the thick porridge in my bowl and watched the girl reach over to grab the ball and join in.

The kick in the hand the girl got for the effort made me cringe baack as if I'd been kicked myself. "Oh!" I set down my bowl and slid my hands under me to push myself to my fit.

"Sit yer ass back down, Mio. Nothing you can do fer that girl," Gen ordered, giving my ankle a nudge with his bare foot. My ankle jerked away instantly and I gave it a ginger rub. He apologised with a sheepish shrug. The pain had certainly eased in the past few days, but as the pain in my ankle faded, the pain in my heel became more and more niggling. Saburo had to have been wrong when he said there was nothing in it. The pain was lingering far too long. There was something in it and whatever it was was sharp.

"You can't expect me to do nothing." I was a teacher, for goodness sake. Making sure children were safe when I was around was a part of my job. I couldn't, in good conscience, just let a group of kids bully a little girl.

"I expect ya ta do exactly that. None of our business, girl. If the girl's parents let her be treated like that, then it's on them."

Aguri was the next to stop me from standing. "You've got a bleeding heart, girl. That's not a good thing fer people like us ta have." The backs of her fingers slapped against my tattooed wrist, just to tell me that she was talking about us criminals, in case I hadn't gotten the message already. "Let it go."

I exhaled a sharp breath and snatched up my bowl, glaring down at the porridge inside of it.

How could people be so cruel to a little girl? How could people who had been so kind to me not care about a little girl being treated so badly by people who were supposed to be their friends?

By some miracle, and the watchful eye of Aguri and Gen, I didn't get up and help that girl. In a moment of petulence that I felt silly about a second after committing to it, I slept on the other side of Tahei that night, away from the two of them. Tahei had given me an arched brow, an amused smirk and a comment of "yer heart really does bleed" as he settled down for the night.

I sighed and rolled over, curling up into a ball. I could feel Tahei's hip brush against my backside as I shifted to get comfortable. Something hit me with the all the force of a freight train then, and it left me reeling.

I had been wherever I was for four days now. The first few days, I hadn't thought about it. Life had been busy with settling into a new routine with the group. Helping out all day left me exhausted enough to fall down dead asleep every night. Today's stop, though, had left us relaxing for a while. I wasn't so tired, which left my mind to think. A dangerous thing.

I had been here for four days. It's the longest I had been away from Saburo since we moved in together when I was twenty. Even when Aguri had mentioned an abusive husband, I hadn't let myelf think of Saburo. I'd been too busy trying to steer the conversation away from chances of Aguri deciding that I was with an abusive husband. I missed him, I realised with an uneasy shift of my body. I suddenly felt very uncomfortable. I missed his cool body surrounding mine at night; the gentle kisses, the hand that pressed over my heart every night. I let out a shaky breath and ran a hand through my tangled hair.

When you spent years with the comfort of something, suddenly realising that it was gone and you missed it was hard.

My next breath was shuddering and I hated myself for it.

"Come here." A musuclar arm found its way around my waist and pulled me close. My body fit well against Tahei's muscular frame, but I shifted around uncomfortably. I couldn't help but compare the two of them. Tahei was warmer than the icy cold temperature Saburo always was. He was more muscular, something I put down to daily labour that Saburo didn't do. His hand hadn't pressed between my breasts immediately like Saburo's did. In fact, it was resting around my waist in what I would consider quite a gentlemanly way. He'd made no effort to try and grope at me. This was more of a comforting embrace than a loving or lustful one. "You've got this heart that bleeds for anyone in trouble, girl." His voice drew me back to the present. "You've gotta let it go. Happens everywhere."

"That doesn't mean it's fair, Tahei."

"It's not," he agreed in a low rumble. He drew me closer, tucking my head under his chin. "Sleep. Things'll seem better in the morning."

* * *

**Explanation time!**

**Light - **It seems lighter outside when Mio wakes up because the well isn't covered by the well house. All the natural light of the day can get into the well. Mio was only unconscious for a few minutes. I don't think I could change the story enough to have her unconscious for hours until it was dark (like I did in the previous version of the fic, bad Bee) and give her brain damage. Research made me see the error of my ways in the old version.

**Lucky - **She's talking about Buyo here. Refer to last chapter's '**Calico**' explanation.

**Temperature - **There's a distinct change in temperature from Modern-day Tokyo to the Edo period because gradually the earth is getting warmer. So I assume that five hundred years in the past would mean that it would be a fraction colder. It may not be a huge change, but I think a sudden change in temperature in just a few minutes would be something that Mio would notice.

**Kosode - **It's a type of kimono, generally used for every day wear in older periods. Nowadays proper kosodes are rarely made because kimonos are usually worn during ceremonies, rather than during every day use. They were commonly made from hemp, a strong material that can stand the wear and tear of daily use.

**Population - **In 1995, Japan had a population of aproximately 125,400,000 people.

**Tattoos - **A tradition in Japanese history was tattooing criminals. Most places tattooed the foreheads of their criminals. Some places tattooed the arms of the criminals. In Japanese history, tattoos are generally viewed to identify criminals. That's why, as mentioned in the last _explanation time, _some hotsprings dont allow access to people that have tattoos.

**History - **I'm going to explain this one because you guys need to know the extent of Mio's nerdiness to fully appreciate the feudal meltdown she's experiencing. Mio had a university degree in Japanese History and became a teaching assistant in a high-school history class. She visits temples near and far for the chance to learn about them. To suddenly be in a place that looks like Feudal Japan (she doesn't know she's fallen into the past. She's just as confused as Kagome was when she first arrived into the past) is something of a dream come true to Mio. She's going to be full of excitement around every corner.

**Mon - **Part of the currency of Japan in the era. Copper coins with holes in the middle so they could be strung together for easy carrying.

**Furoshiki - **A Japanese wrapping cloth used to transport things in the way we would a bag. You've probably seen them wrapping lunch boxes in anime and manga. The cloth that Sango has over her shoulders, that carries her uniform and the Demon hide she picked up in her first appearance is a furoshiki cloth.

**Okayu - **Rice porridge. Like good old chicken soup in Western cultures, Okayu is known to be served to sick people, because its easy to swallow and digest.

* * *

**Review corner!**

**TheOpheliac - **Thank you for your review! Yeah, I think that Mio and Saburo's relationship in the last go of things was a bit off. I'm trying to fix it a bit and make it seem a little more realistic this time around. I've known abuse personally, too, and I decided that I'd show it as realistically as I could in this fic. That involves the hiding it from the public eye and even, to some extent, pretending it doesn't actually happen yourself. This chapter had a bit more on the topic, though its still fairly low-key. Mio's character was based very heavily on the abuse she suffered in the last time around and I wanted to pull away from that a little and give her a deeper personality this time around. Mio isn't her abuse here. Sesshomaru will, hopefully, be coming in either next chapter or the chapter after, so you'll see him soon! Thank you!

**That's it for review corner this chapter!**

* * *

**And we're done for another chapter. I'll try and bring you a third chapter soon. **

**Tell me what you think of the little band of four misfits that Mio's found herself falling in with. I have a soft spot for Aguri myself.**

**I left acompletely unintentional at the time Disney reference in this chapter. How many of you can find it?**


	4. Scroll Three

**Thanks to everyone that read the last chapter! I appreciate it a lot!**

**Back again so soon. I wanna try and get back to about where I was in the last run of things before I let up and get back to schedule. I've been writing obsessively all day every day since I decided to rewrite, which hasnt left me much time to do anything else. But when a muse hits, you have to indulge her, I suppose. The next few chapters will likely be coming within the next, say, week. After I've gotten those few chapters out, and caught up to where I was before (Im gonna say that'll take another two or three chapters) I'll be going back on a schedule. Do you guys think I should go on a weekly schedule, or a fortnightly schedule?**

**Off we go**

* * *

**Kagome Kagome**

Scroll Three

* * *

I looked out for the girl from last night as Aguri and Yone led me out of the village. After a few minutes of playing follow the leader, we got to a river bank filled with women and children. Most women were chatting amongst themselves as they scrubbed at clothes in the river. Children were playing amongst themselves in the water, splashing around and bathing.

We dumped all the clothing we had piled up into our arms on the bank and sank to our knees. We ignored a few insults and accusations hurled our way. a popular accusation was that we had stolen fish from their reserve. Easy chatter about what our next few meals were going to be - okayu seemed to be the most popular option - filled the air as we began scrubbing down some of the dirtiest clothes I had ever seen. I felt a sudden wish to see my washing machine nestled amongst the bushes behind us. Hand washing dishes I could do. Bathing without a shower I could do. Cooking without an oven was something I hadn't tried yet here, but knew I could do. Washing clothes without a washing machine and detergent was something that I could really complain about. I didn't, though. As much as I wanted to, I didn't speak one ill word about hand washing clothes. It wasn't like complaining would make my washing machine appear before me in full working order.

"How long do you think we'll be travelling for now, Aguri?" Yone asked as she brushed back a strand of hair that had ben dancing in front of her eyes all morning.

The older woman shrugged. "Couldn't tell ya, girl. Tahei doesn't know where the next village is from here. None of us have been this far east before. We'll just have ta find out on the road. It may be a while. We want ta get away from this mountain quickly. I've already heard some of the whispers. The demons are a bad lot here."

I perked up. "Demons?" Demonology was something I could talk about until my dying breath.

"Aye, girl. I've heard that there are two lots here. Warring with each other." Aguri shook her head. "Bad enough when there's just one. We want out of demon territory."

I wasn't too shocked about demons actually existing. I was beginning to put together some idea where I was. A place that had the mechanics of home five hundred years in the past, and apparently, where demons really existed. Time travel (or something similar) was so unbelievable that adding demons to the mix was hardly going to throw me over the edge of sanity. I was more worried about whether or not we would stand up to demons than whether my mental health was suffering.

"What sort of demons are we dealing with?" Yone asked, shaking out a now-clean haori of Tahei's.

"Wolves and some type of bird." The two fell into a conversation about the demons that I would have toppled right into myself if I hadn't caught a familiar flash of red out of the corner of my eye. A little further up the river far enough away from people that you could tell she was purposefully distancing herself from people, was that little girl from last night. She was leant over the rushing river, washing out a heap of dirty fabric. My gaze flickered to Aguri and Yone. Both were still engrossed in demon talk.

Slipping away from the two gossiping women was like child's play. I'd been told that the little girl wasn't any of my business, but I really couldn't just leave her to suffer alone.

I truly did have a bleeding heart.

"Hi," I called out to the girl as I approached. Her reaction was immediate and somewhat worrying. She cringed away from me like she was expecting me to hit her. As a teacher one of my first priorities was to make sure that children were safe. A child cringing away from me scared like that was quite affronting. "It's okay, honey. I just thought you could use some help." I knelt down next to the pile of cloth and reached out to pick up a pink kosode that would be pretty when I got some of the mud stains out of it. "Where are your parents, honey?"

Working as a teacher, you met a lot of types of kids. That in itself led you to learn a lot of things. I'd learned very quickly how to identify abused children. It was a sad, sad thing to learn and every time I recognised one, I felt my heart plummet. The way the girl cringed away from me was one of the least subtle hints towards her being abused that I had ever seen in a child before. Working with abused children was a delicate art.

The quivering of her curled up body slowed, I noticed out of the corner of my eye before I gave scrubbing the kosode in my grasp my full attention. That gave her time to compose herself without being stared at like a zoo exhibit.

It took her a few long moments to relax enough to unfurl. When she did though, she knelt on the opposite side of the pile and picked up another kosode.

We washed together for a few minutes in total silence before I ventured attempting to start conversation.

"I'm Mio. What's your name, honey?"

The girl just carried on washing. A little frown pulled at the corners of my lips, but I didnt push the topic any further, for now. Just turned back to cleaning.

We managed to clean everything together quite quickly. I'd never known a child as young as her - eight, at the oldest - to be so helpful with chores. I certainly hadn't been helpful at her age. Any chance I got to escape the house, and subsequently the household chores, I took. This little girl hadn't run screaming at the thought of chores. In fact, she'd cringed away from being helped with said chores.

She even helped me fold the wet clothes and pile them up neatly so we could carry them back to the village. I tried to initiate the light chatter that had become familiar between Aguri, Yone and I, but all attempts to try and get her to talk were nil. So I filled the silence with my own chatter. Sometimes you didn't want to talk, you just wanted listen. At least, it was that way for me. I could talk with the best of them, but sometimes there was bliss in being silent and allowing other people talk to their heart's content.

I talked about how I was very different to the girl as a child. I never wanted to do things like help wash clothes or cook or clean; how I alway wanted to go out and play, and that I did. There had been times where I had run away from the house, climbed out of the window, just to go and play with other children. I told her about those times, too.

She didn't say anything. That disappointed me a lot. I didn't like feeling like I was failing in trying to help people. Her tense little shoulders were beginning to relax, though. It was something. I tried to feel happy that I'd gotten some little positive reaction out of her.

That little positive reaction melted away as soon as we entered the village. Jeering started. Names were being hurled at me. Accusations. I felt insecurity grip at me and my throat began to feel tight. From yesterday at the market, I knew the five of us wouldn't be welcomed. Twice in just a few minutes, I had heard us be insulted. The blatant yells was a little bit of a shock, but I tried to ingore them. I forced back the lump forming in my throat, tipped my chin up just slightly, and marched on.

That's what I did until their jeering turned on the girl.

"I knew a no-good kid like you would be hanging with those sort, Rin."

"You're a traitor to us, Rin."

"A bad egg. I always knew it!"

I'd learned a long time ago to try and block out the terrible things people said. I'd been called names and had accusations thrown at me often enough for it to become a problem, so I'd learnt to deal with it as best as I could. The names affected me. I could feel myself being bought to tears every time, but I still fought to let the world know that name-calling wouldn't beat me. I squared my shoulders, raised my chin and carried on.

Rin was just a child. I would be devestated if I could for one second believe that she could possibly know how to deal with such terrible things. She was just a child, she shouldn't have to deal with things like that.

I held the bundle of wet clothes tighter to my chest with one arm and reached out to touch my hand to her shoulder with the other. "Honey-" She was warm. The sort of warmth I recognised immediately. My first instinct was to jerk away, but I beat it back and squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. "They're lying, honey. There's no such thing as a bad or traitorous child. Just men casting projections and disappointment at themselves onto innocents."

When I had been screamed at, I had always wanted someone to hold me tight and tell me that those people were lying.

Maybe I was as bad as them, projecting myself onto this little girl.

Wide watery eyes the colour of rich melted chocolate turned up to me and a little mouth went slack in an awed sort of shock. The blinding smile that split her face a second later melted my heart. She had a missing tooth; something I'd always found endearing in young children. A warm answering smile spread over my face as I let go of her shoulder.

Our moment was broken by the harsh words of a scrawny teenager about Yone's age. "You're a disgrace, Rin," he hissed as he passed, knocking into the girl's side roughly. She unbalanced and knocked into my side. I was quick to steady her and even quicker to turn on my heel and react.

My fist was swinging through the air before my brain caught up with my actions. I rolled with it, throwing my miniscule body weight into the punch.

This wasn't the first punch I had thrown in defense.

This wasn't the first time I had felt cartelidge give way under my anger, or pained cries.

This wasn't the first time I'd been disorientated by a fist crashing into my cheek in revenge.

It was the first time, however, I'd punched someone to defend another person.

It was the first time I'd felt muscular arms latch around my waist and pull me back.

It was the first time I'd heard a grunting voice in my ear telling me that I'd thrown a good punch, but it had been stupid.

It was the first time I'd seen the encouraging grin of a familiar face as he held back the person I was trading blows with.

Tahei carried me away from the crowd that had formed. "You're a stupid, stupid bleeding heart, girl," he grunted as he tossed me down into the straw-lined cart and planted his hands on the edges, boxing me in. He wasn't angry. There was pride in his dark eyes and worry furrowing his brows together, but there wasn't any anger visible. "Cheek looks okay. No cut."

Not on the outside, at least. I swished warm liquid in my mouth and leant over the side of the cart to spit blood onto the ground. My teeth had sliced the inside of my cheek.

A hand curled around my ankle and yanked me forwards, into a desperate hug. "Stupid, stupid girl," Tahei grunted, holding me tight. "I've never seen a girl throw a punch like that. You have to be stupid. A girl like you standing up to a man like that."

I shifted uncomfortably in Tahei's hold, pushing my hand against his chest until he pulled back. "Where's Rin? Is she okay?"

"That girl? She ran as soon as you threw that punch. I don't think anyone noticed her go," he said in a thoughtful tone. It was just what I wanted to hear.

Adrenaline began to ebb away and I shook myself out. My cheek was beginning to throb now. "I think I'm going to go and bathe." I felt a bit lost. A moment ago I didn't have one single thought in my head, and now I couldn't process everything running through my mind. I needed some time alone to process and sort out all my thoughts.

"Yer mad if you think I'll letting you alone after you assaulted one of the village men." I glared up at him with sharp grey eyes. There must have been something in my stare that changed his mind because, with a sigh, he stepped aside and allowed me to slide off the edge of the cart. "You've got until sunset. If yer not back by then, yer in for a lot of trouble. Go."

* * *

I decided that rather than take the chance of having more accusations or insults thrown at me - something that I couldn't take right now, feeling as raw as I was - I would bathe upstream, away from the crowds and away from Aguri and Yone. I had a feeling that Aguri would have a lot to say about me getting into a fight with that boy.

I couldn't tell you how long I walked for, but as I did, the stream got rockier and rockier. before long, I was stood at a rocky crop at the base of the mountain.

With how sunny it was, and how warm the rocks felt to the touch, this would be the perfect place to wash off my clothes and let them dry out. I hadn't washed the clothes I was wearing at all in the five days I had been wearing them. I was scared that if I took them off, they would stand up on their own. I felt a longing pang for my washing machine, again. I missed being able to open my wardrobe and pull out fresh clothes, and pick up a can of deodorant from my bedside table.

Surprisingly, my kosode wasn't stand up on it's own when I stripped it from my body. My bra smelt something awful and my underwear wasn't in the best of conditions, but a lot of scrubbing changed that for the better. I tossed all of my wet clothes out on the warm rock to dry and slid into the cool water. My fingers ran over my body vigorously, trying to shift some of the dirt that had built up since we'd been to the hot spring. My lip twitched slightly in distaste at the growing hair on my body, but I tried to let my mind pass over the fact.

As clean as I was going to get, I sighed softly and settled down to sit on a fairly large rock submerged under the water and let the river flow around me.

I had punched someone. I raised my left hand out of the water to get a look at the red knuckles. I wasn't usually such a violent person. I had outbursts occasionally, but never with a complete stranger over a single comment. My hand curled against my chest as my eyes slid shut. Maybe the stress of this place was getting to me. I was an adaptable person by nature, but being thrown into such a different place was difficult to deal with, even for me.

I sighed heavily.

My mind turned to Rin. I hoped that no one had noticed she had left our little gathering. That girl deserved to be safe. My shoulders slumped. What if throwing that punch had gotten Rin into trouble? Would people treat her differently now because she had spent time with me? I hadn't thought about that when I had thrown that punch. I was so stupid.

The hairs on my arm and the back of my neck began to stand on end and a moment later a screech from behind me made me jump from my thoughts, and from the rock I was perched on. My head dipped under the water and I panicked for a split second before my hand found the river bank and I hoisted myself up, half out of the water. I hacked up a mouthful of water onto the grass as a large shadow passed over me, cooling my wet body drastically. That shadow was too big to be a little bird.

Aguri and Yone's morning conversation came back to me and my head dropped, pressing my forehead to the ground, in utter defeat. How could I forget about the demons? Wolves and _birds _in the mountain terrritory. Hadn't I been fretting over the thought of being alone with them around? How could I be so stupid? I was dead. This demon bird - I was certain that was what the giant shadow was - was going to kill me.

My only decision now was whether I should face it while it killed me or let it happen with my back turned. Was I brave enough to stare death in the face?

I inhaled a deep, shaky breath and looked up. Yes, I was brave enough. I had done it before. I could do it now.

That thing was not a bird. I didn't know what I had expected to see when looking at a demon bid, but the creature that was flying above me wasn't it. It was huge and round - a shape that I had never seen in a bird - with a wingspan that had to be at least twice my height and a huge gaping maw slit through its body. I shreiked and threw myself against the ground when the bird dipped and hurtled towards me. I was a coward. Looking death in the face a second time was too much.

"Got you now!" A pained screech sounded from the demon and I hesitated before raising my head.

A curious coward was a bad combination.

There was a man clinging to the demon, wearing the strangest clothing I had ever seen. If clothing could really be what it was; I just saw brown fur and metal armour. No actual clothing. He yelled out as the demon threw him off and I cringed when he landed a hairsbreadth from crushing me. The brown tail hanging from the back of the cloth around his waist brushed against my arm.

Shocking electric blue eyes captured mine. Not a man. He was just a boy. Fifteen or sixteen, maybe. His face was still had a soft roundness to it.

A smirk tilted his lips upwards and showed off wickedly sharp fangs. His lips moved, and then he was off, leaping into the air with a powerful tense of his thighs. I caught more than a fair glimpse of the ratty fundoshi under his fur. It took a moment for my mind to process what he had said.

"_I'll be back to take a bite out of you when I've finished off this harpy._"

I scrambled out of the water as soon as my mind had caught up.

* * *

The shivering of my body as I made my way back into the village wasn't the fault of the wet clothing I had hastily pulled on. I rubbed at my forearms, trying to will the little hairs there to lay flat again. They were still standing on end.

An incredible warmth brushed past me and I jerked back, muffling a yelp with my hands slapping over my mouth. The run-in with that wild fur-wearing boy had left me skittish as a mouse. Melted chocolate eyes looked up at me through long black lashes. "Oh, Rin, honey." My shivering body relaxed just a little as my hands dropped from my face. One hand found it's way to her warm shoulder. "Is everything okay?"

She looked up at me with a hesitant suspicion for a moment before pulling away and dashing off into the village. I sighed softly as I watched her go. Punching that man had killed any chance I had of helping that girl out.

It took a moment for me to realise that the heat I felt from her body hadn't left my hand. Tangled around my fingers was a thin silver wire. No, not a wire. A hair. A ridiculously long silver hair. Raising my hand up to measure the length of the hair, I gave a little huff of shock. The hair was almost as long as I was tall, and it was giving off that ridiculous heat.

Winding the hair into a little skein around my fingers, I shook my head. Tiredness was getting to me.

"There ya are! Aguri's got us some fine looking okayu cooking." Gen reached out to grab at the sleeve of my wet kosode and frowned. "Catch yer death of cold, ya will. C'mon."

I let him pull me along without a peep, tucking the tiny skein of hair into the bra I wore under my kosode. Heat blossomed against my breast. I was just as quiet as I was sat down next to Tahei. Gen took up my other side.

Gen's ignorance to my mood wasn't mirrored. Tahei's arm wrapped around me, pulling me to lean against his chest. "What's wrong, girl?" I could feel eyes on me. Not just the eyes of our little group. I could feel the villager's judging stares, too. He jostled me lightly. "Mio?"

"I saw a demon today." My voice sounded distant to my ears.

The reactions were instant. Aguri and Gen jumped forwards with wildly worried expressions. "What?" they chorussed.

"Are you okay?" was Yone's worried question.

Tahei just held me closer.

"No," I croaked, burying my face into Tahei's side. Around people now, I felt I could be vulnerable and let them know what was wrong. A big part of me trusted these people. They'd be able to help me. My next breath was shuddering, and tears pricked at my eyes. "It was terrifying. I've...I've never seen anything like it. I want to leave. I don't want to stay here." I wanted to put as much distance between myself and that bird thing as I possibly could.

"We're leaving in the morning," Tahei murmured into my hair. "We'll leave first thing. It's too late now to start travelling. Demons thrive when the sun goes down. It's too dangerous."

Tomorrow morning. "Promise?" I could wait just a few hours to leave this place. I'd be safe in the village, with people around.

A low chuckle rumbled from Tahei's chest, vibrating my cheek. "Promise."

"Punch a man then cry into another's chest. Yer an odd one Mio," Gen chuckled.

* * *

Sleep that night didn't come easily. I laid, curled up in Tahei's arms, listening to his light breaths for hours. Eventually I managed to fall into a light dose, but that was shaky and I soon found myself awake again, staring up at the stars. A deep sigh heaved my body. Besides me Tahei mumbled in his sleep and tightened his arm around me.

I turned my attention to him, giving myself something to do by analysing him.

His skin was a deep tan colour and worn. He'd spent all of his years outside, being beaten by the weather, hot and cold. The rough scarred texture of his face was only heightened by the slight dusting of the days growth of stubble. He had a scar just under his earlobe, small and mostly hidden behind his stubble. The tips of my fingers stroked over it slowly. It was rough under my finger-tips. Clearly, it hadn't had any decent treatment. The skin had been left to knit together by itself. I wondered where he'd gotten the scar. What was the story behind it? A shaving accident? Something more wild than that? Would he tell me if I asked him?

My fingers were slowly stroking down the chorded muscles of his neck when I heard a commotion. I lifted my head and pushed myself up on a forearm to get a look at the reserve in the distance over Tahei's head. I could see the distant flicker of fire and hear the raised voices of village men. Something in me told me that I needed to be there.

I had gotten good at slipping out of a sleeping man's arms. Saburo had a habit of keeping me locked to his side all night, but I had to get up before he woke to get breakfast on the go. That predicament led to me learning how to escape him easily. Slipping out of Tahei's arms without disturbing him was quick and simple.

My curiosity was going to be the death of me, I thought despondently as I crept forwards.

The sickly familiar sound of flesh pounding against flesh urged me forwards. I rounded a hut to witness the most sickening sight I had ever witnessed. A handful of men were circling a tiny lump wearing a familiar kosode, kicking it. My blood ran cold as a threat to the girl reached my ears. "Next time, we'll kill you!"

A scream left my lips as I limped forwards. "Get away from her!" By the time I reached them all, tears were streaming down my cheeks. I shouldered my way through two of the men, knocking them both aside violently to get to the girl. I dropped to my knees and leaned over her. "Rin? Rin." I lifted her face as gently as I could to get a look at the damage and sobbed. They'd done so much to her. The skin around one eye was already swelling up. I hugged her to my chest and sobbed again. "Oh Rin."

I gasped sharply in pain as someone kicked my already bruised ribs and hunched forwards over the girl.

"You foul bastards," I sobbed. I felt little hands clutch to my kosode. Warm little hands clinging to me desperately. "How could you do this to a little girl?"

I thought my group had been terrible when they had told me to not help the girl, but that was nothing compared to this. Kicking a poor girl, threatening to kill her?

The little tugging became more insistent, pulling at me until I looked down at the girl. She wriggled in my tight grip, pulling away until she was stood. She still gripped the sleeve of my kosode, tugging as she began to stagger towards the trees.

Wiping my cheeks with my sleeve, I followed behind her.

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**Information time!**

**Fundoshi - **A fundoshi is a loincloth, used like modern underwear

**Judging stares - **Public displays of affection aren't looked upon too well in Japan. In recent years, its getting better, but there are people, particuarly of older generations that'll give you dirty looks for being overly affectionate and touchy feely with people. I'm making an educated guess here and saying that if they saw a man and woman cuddling together like Mio and Tahei five hundred years ago, they wouldn't like it much. Thus the judging stares.

**Not a lot of stuff in this chapter that I felt needed explanation. If there's anything you don't understand in the fic, that I didn't touch on, don't be scared to leave a message and ask!**

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**Review corner!**

**Setsuna 1986 - **You're back? Shouldn't it be me saying that? :p Thank's for the review! Yeah, her personality will be more developed, definitely different and hopefully, a bit more realistic. I think this chapter showed that this Mio is more likely to fight back than the old Mio. It's not enough for this era, certainly, but you'll have to wait and see what I have in store for that. Actually, no, in this version, Mio has less of a focus on the teller than she did in the last one. There's a reason for her not getting some things the teller told her, though, even in the old version. That's one thing that hasnt changed much. Loving your review as always!**  
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**TheOpheliac - **Honestly? Neither was I! They were supposed to play the role of the two bandits from Golden Windows. But, as I wrote, it just... happened this way. Oh, I'm glad you like Tahei! I'll bet that you'll have loved this chapter then, huh? Lot's of Tahei action going on here. You'll be pleased to know that there's some more of said Tahei action coming in the future! It breaks my heart, too. Lots of heart breaking going on in this fic, I'm afraid! Yes, indeed you did see Rin last chapter! Sesshomaru will grace our presence soon, I promise. I'm going to have to disappoint you and say that the almost every day chapters will only be happening for the next, maybe, week, then I'll be getting back to a more stable schedule. I wanted to bring us back to the Panther Devas sub-arc (the arc that I just touched on when I started writing the next chapter of Golden Windows before deciding to rewrite) then fall into an easier schedule. Home life is, regretably, not the best at the moment, but it's not stopping me from writing too much. Good health and happiness to you, too!

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**Writing this chapter was a disaster. It took me five hours to write the first thousand words and then I had to deal with listening to my mothers boyfriend screaming at me. Trying to write when people are screaming not very nice things at you is a seriously difficult thing to do, so if there's a bit of a dip in the quality of my writing in this chapter, please forgive me.**

**We've got an exciting bit of canon at the very end of this chapter! The first mention of canon events in this fic, actually. Rin stealing fish from the hatchery for Sesshomaru.**

**There's a mention of Sesshomaru in this chapter, but our man isn't physically here just yet. He'll be coming to your screens very, very soon, I promise you. You guys excited for that? I know I am! Their meeting will be so different this time around. Mio won't be slapping him either. You guys can decide whether that's a good thing or not.**

**I best be off to get the next chapter started. See you guys in a couple of days!**


	5. Scroll Four

**Another day, another chapter!**

**Thank you to everyone that read the last chapter! As always, I appreciate the time you've taken to read my fanfic!**

**The last chapter, I felt, was a hard one to write. I apologise if you felt it wasn't up to my usual work. So, I'm going to try hard to make this chapter as good as I can to make up for that! **

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**Warning!**

There is a somewhat detailed description of a dead body in this chapter. This imagery will be upsetting for most people. Read on at your own risk.

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**Kagome Kagome**

Scroll Four

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Rin and I had matching limps.

The throbbing in my foot felt so much worse than usual. I was going to assume that it was due to all the sudden stress. The light limp that I'd been getting used to in the past week was almost excruciating now as I followed Rin through the dark forest.

Rin's limp was, thankfully, not so bad. Thankfully, I say, in the loosest term of the word. The only reason she wasn't limping so much was because the men that had been beating her not long ago had been focussing more on her body and face than her legs. She wasn't limping so much, thankfully, but the rest of her body was in a state.

"Rin, where are we going?" I licked my dry lips and reached out to steady myself against a tree and take some weight off my foot. "We should find the river and clean out some of your wounds."

The little girl stopped dead in her tracks and turned around to me in a swift movement as I stopped myself from bumping into her. That heart-melting gap-toothed grin appeared on her face. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other a couple of times before jumping back and spinning around again, limping further into the dark forest.

Abandoning my leaning post, I followed after her.

The game of follow the leader lasted for at least another hour before I suggested that I take a look at her wounds again. She just gave me that bright smile again and carried on as if she wasn't seriously injured. I couldn't just grab her and hold her down, so with a resigned drop of my head, I trudged after her.

I was just about to call out to her again when the girl dropped to the floor. I yelped and hurried forawrds. Just as my hand grasped her shoulder, I heard bones being broken. It sickened me that I knew that sound well enough to identify it. I yanked her back in a movement that was, in hindsight, a little too hard in my panic. "Oh my." My hand pressed to my chest. Be still my beating heart.

The little girl had toppled over onto her backside with my pull and was staring up at me from the ground with wide eyes. Held in her grasp was a small rat that, I assumed, she had crushed the ribs of to keep it still. It gave off pained, high-pitched squeaks.

"Oh, Rin, you can't leave it to suffer." Though it pained me, I reached down to the poor creature. It's breathing was soft and fast and wheezy. A broken rib had puctured a lung. My eyes squeezed shut as I twisted its head sharply. The snapping of its neck was sickening, but it silenced the pained screeches and heavy breathing. My fingers ran through its grubby fur gently. "You can't leave something to suffer like that, Rin. It's cruel." I was using my 'teacher tone' here; a firm scolding tone that let whoever I was talking to know that thye were in the wrong without raising my voice.

The sad look she gave me was enough to know that my tone had worked.

"Why would you even want to kill the poor thing?"

Her sad eyes lit up and she reached out to snatch the rat from my hand. She was on her feet a moment later, grabbing my sleeve and dragging me along at the fastest pace two injured people could limp.

Part way to our destination, she pulled away from me to leap on another creature. A lizard. She snapped it's neck quickly, thankfully, then we were on her way away.

As we limped through a break in the trees, the sky was just beginning to lighten. I slowed to a stop and reached out to the girl. "Hang on a moment, Rin." Sunrise and sunset were both so beautiful here. "Where I come from, there aren't any sunrises like this. Or sunsets. You can hardly see the stars," I informed the girl, never tearing my gaze from the sky. "It's so beautiful here."

Her warm hand slipped into mine and together we stood, looking up at the sky.

As colours bled together, my mind turned to Tahei, who was certainly waking up with the sun. He'd be packing up the cart soon. I would have to get back to the village quickly after Rin had shown me what she was leading me to. I didn't want to be left behind.

Not long later, sun risen and the sky promising a beautiful day with its bright blue colour, we were off again.

It only took a few minutes for Rin's steps to slow and become unsure. She took a long time picking out a large leaf to lay her offerings of a rat and lizard on, then crept forwards again. I watched her bemusedly. She looked nervous. I'd seen a fair range of expressions on the girl's face in the past few days, but antsy like this wasn't one of them.

"Rin, honey, are you okay?"

She pressed her finger to her lips in the universal sign to keep quiet, and I obeyed. She peeked out from behind a large tree, then disappeared around it. I stayed in place, still and silent, for a long moment, shifting my weight entirely onto my good foot and leaning against the tree as my left foot gave a terrible throb, before deciding that I just couldn't stand here. What if she was ambushed by something? A demon, or like that fur-wearing wild boy? I rounded the tree with a heavy limp, gripping the rough bark tightly.

A sharp breath whistled through my teeth when I laid eyes on the figure leant against a tree opposite me. There was so much blood! I stumbled as I hurried to approach and Rin span around before she reached the man. The hairs on my arms began to rise as I got closer. Something in me told me to stop as an uneasy roll of nausea swept through my stomach and I did, stopping dead just behind Rin and rubbing at an arm slowly. My grey eyes narrowed nervously on him.

His face was tattooed. That made me slightly nervous, but I let that go quickly. I'd already found that not all marked criminals were bad. Though my hand did find my wrist and stroke over the tattooed burn scar there. The mark was identical to mine, right down to the blue colour of the ink.

I didn't trust something that gave me nausea and an unsettling feeling so bad that it overcame my instinct to help people that were hurt. He looked like just a man, no, a boy. A teenaged boy. There was largeness to his eyes and a slight roundness to his cheeks that made me question just how old he was. If I hadn't noticed these little things, I would have put him at twenty two or twenty three. His cheekbones were high and sculpted, a noble feature that definitely made him look slightly older than his eyes and cheeks suggested. Nineteen, I decided. He was at the age where he was transitioning (without any of the awkwardness I knew from said aging process) from a boy into a man.

Though his face was turned away from me slightly, I could see enough of his expression to identfy a stony and noble sort of slant to his thin lips and brows, like he felt he was too good for present company. I had been on the receiving end of a glare like that numerous times. Teaching was a strong and respected profession, but there was the occasional parent that looked down their nose at you and had nothing but unpleasant things to say.

Rin dropped to her knees at his thigh and lifted her offering to him. With the lazy way his eyes moved to the leaf, but never stopped on either of our faces, I assumed that he would snort and wave it away, or not even dignify it with a response. A pleasant thrill of surprise warmed me when, even as he turned away, he spoke. "No, thank you." He'd deemed it not worth his time, as I had expected he would, but he'd spoken, and even been polite about denying the girl.

I limped forwards, stopping when my fingers brushed Rin's long, tangled hair. I would have to try and comb it out soon. Knots like that couldn't be comfortable. I stroked her wild hair from her face gently when she heaved a sad sigh. "It's okay, Rin," I murmured to her. She leant into my stroking hand for comfort and looked up at me with sad chocolate.

"What happened to your face?" came the deep-toned voice in a quiet, curious murmur. My first instinct was to lift my hand to the bruising and swelling around my eye from the punch I had received yesterday, but there was a slight flicker in his eyes that settled on Rin for just a moment. He didn't spare me a glance at all. At Rin's silence he gave a huff that I'd always associated with dogs. For the first few years Saburo and I had been together, Saburo had his childhood dog, an old Chin called Jun, almost always at his side. That dog was spoiled beyond belief in his old age and any time I said no to him, Jun would heave a big huff and lay down with his back to me, sulking. The parrallels between this boy and Jun in that moment made me stifle a giggle with a hand pressed firmly against my mouth. The boy's next words only made the dog-like sulking parallel more obvious. "...All right then, don't tell me."

This boy had a passive aggressive type of sulking wherein he tried to deny he was ever interested in what he'd asked in the first place. If I had any more need for confirmation that there were still some boyish qualities about him, then that was it.

Rin offered her wide, heart-melting smile to the boy and in an instant was away, running back through the forest.

"Rin! Rin, not so fast!" I turned to follow her, then remembered where I was. I span back around to the boy and bowed. "Thank you for asking her. That girl needs more people to show care for her." He didn't even look at me.

It seemed I was right about his personality, after all. He was had a noble character that thought he was better than most people and wasn't afraid to show that off. He just had a soft-spot for Rin. I tried not to take his dismissal of me to heart as I turned again and began chasing after Rin.

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I couldn't catch up to the girl. Even with her limp, she was a lot more agile than me in the forest. I desperately hoped that she had made her way to the village safely as I picked through the last trees at the edge of the village.

The first thing I spotted was a familiar faded red kosode dancing through the huts. I heaved a sigh of relief as I limped towards where our cart was set up. All four of them were stacking our supplies carefully in the back of the cart. I raised one arm and cupped my other hand around my mouth as I called out "ho!" Yone was the first to look up at my call and her face lit up in all kinds of relief. Her lips moved, likely telling the rest that I was back, before she launched herself off the cart and began running towards me as fast as she could wrapped up in her kosode. A kosode was not an easy article of clothing to run in.

Yone was the first to run at me, but Tahei - tall as he was and finding it much easier to run in his hakama - was the one that got to me first. His arms wrapped around me and we span in circles as he lifted me from the ground. "You stupid, stupid girl," he grunted as he held me against his broad chest. I gave a pleased breath and wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my face into his chest. His warmth enveloped me so perfectly. "Where were you? Panicked when you weren't in the village when I woke up."

"I'm sorry," I mumbled into his haori.

His arms just tightened around me.

"C'mon." He let me down to the ground and began leaded me towards the cart. The rest of our group hovered around, giving me a look over to see if I was injured in any way. When Aguri didn't see any wounds, she saw it fit to give me one herself and slapped me hard in the back of the head, calling me an idiot as she did so. "We're just about ready to go," Tahei explained as we got to the cart. "Just have to load up a water supply and we can be off. Are you ready?"

I bent over to pick up the furoshiki cloth that I'd wrapped my few possessions in and slung it over my shoulder just like I'd carry my large tote bag back home. "Yes, I'm ready." I turned a glance over to the direction that Rin had gone in. Could I slip away for a few minutes just to say goodbye to the girl? I glanced back at the group as my feet carried me towards Rin.

I didn't get far, though. A panicked scream of "wolves" made me stop dead in my tracks. The large canines were coming in from the west, the mountain river, tearing into any human it caught.

"Mio," Tahei yelled out, grabbing me as I began to move again, stopping me from running to Rin. "Where are you going? We have to leave now. We can't fight off that many wolves."

A panicked breath tore from my throat as I turned to him. "I can't leave Rin behind." My hand found his and I squeezed. "Get the cart moving. I'll-" I knew there was a large chance that I was going to die here. I couldn't fight off wild animals. But the wolves were distracted by all the villagers they were slaughtering. If I had a lucky chance, I could get around them adn get Rin out into the forest. If we were fast enough, we could get away while the wolves devoured the villagers. Then we could double back and find a way to meet up with Tahei and the rest of the group. "I'll survive this," I promised. "When she's safe, I'll come back to find you."

Tears pricked in my eyes as I gazed up into the worry reflecting in Tahei's inky gaze, but I blinked them back and pushed myself up onto my tip toes. Grasping at the hair draped over Tahei's chest, I yanked him down, sealing our lips together in a quick but passionate kiss that he reciprocated as soon as my lips brushed his, fingers weaving into my brown hair. His lips were hot adn damp against my own and the feel of his tongue sliding over mine drew a deep moan from my throat.

In the week that I had known him, Tahei had become my rock in this strange place. By his side was where I felt safest and I knew that if I saw him again, we'd in love as quickly as I fell into his arms. He was an incredibly kind and strong man and leaving him like this was no easy feat for me.

I pushed him back. "Go. Get out of here. I'll find you."

His large hand grasped my wrist as I turned to run. "Wait. Take this. You need some protection." He pressed a sheathed kaiken into my palm and curled my fingers around the handle. "Be safe, Mio. Please."

My head jerked in a firm nod and with one last pained look, he released me.

By some miracle, I managed to weave through the screaming bodies and ravenous wolves. My body quaked in fear as I caught a glimpse of a familiar ponytail and ensemble of armour and fur moving away from the village at a fast pace, but I ran until I found Rin, curled up in a ball and staring at the bodiless head of a weathered old man just a few feet from her.

"Rin!" I pulled her up my the sleeve of her kosode and yanked her towards the forest. "We have to go."

Growling behind me alerted me to the fact that wolves were on the move again and I didn't pause to even think as I yanked her through the woods. Soon it was here pulling me and weaving through roots and bushes with an agility I would never have dreamed of owning. I stumbled and caught my sandal-clad feet on every other root. It was sheer force of will that kept me from falling to the ground.

I could hear the panting and high-pitched whining of the wolves catching up to us.

A loud sob sounded as teeth clamped around my right ankle and dragged me back. Instinctively my hand shot out to grab the closest thing from me to stop me falling. That was Rin, and the girl tumbled to the ground, with me landing heavily on top of her. I cursed myself for bringing her down with me, but curled my body around hers, covering as much of her as I could as the wolves descended.

A scream tore from me as flesh was ripped from bone. I prayed desperately that Rin would survive this as my body was preyed upon.

The burning pain left behind by each chunk of flesh that was pulled from my body became overwhelming quickly. It wasn't even a minute of this torture before a merciful haze of black overtook my vision.

A scream of my name echoed in my ears, distorting as it faded behind the loud roar of my pulse beating in my ear.

The burning ebbed and a numbness took over me. I could feel nothing. My mind and body felt disconnected.

I relaxed into the blissfully numb and familiar feeling of the world slipping away.

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The screech of his vassal fell on selectively deaf ears as Lord Sesshomaru drew himself, with some difficulty that he would admit to no one, to his feet. His stagger as he took his first was so minimal that Jaken would never be able to recognise it for what it was; a moment of weakness in his still vulnerable state. "...Let us go, Jaken."

Lord Sesshomaru took only a few slow steps before a scent on the wind bought him to a stop. His head tipped in in the direction of the breeze and his brilliant golden eyes narrowed. The scent of blood carried on the wind; two different scents mingling together. His sharp nose could pick up one familiar scent in the two. The girl that had been caring for him in his few days of vulnerability.

The need to investigate bought his feet forwards.

"Lord Sesshomaru, where are you going?"

His vassal's words once again fell of deaf ears as he strode forwards with purpose, mind occcupied. '_The scent of blood and wolves... From there... Where the little human girl always goes home. Was her village attaked?_' The intensity of the blood led him to believe that the girl was running towards him when she was injured.

A few minutes later, his theory was confirmed as he came upon a small pack of wolves tearing into a body so mangled that it took him a moment to recognise who it was. The woman that his little human girl had bought with her this morning. The only way he could tell was the colour of her kosode. What little parts weren't dyed a horrific black by blood was the rich purple of her kosode. His eyes narrowed once again as he looked over the scene. He couldn't see the human girl immediately.

As one wolf tore at the woman's kosode, tearing it away from her mangled legs, he caught sight of a small scarred foot. The girl was hidden under the woman's body.

The wolves shifted uneasily under his stare, growling at him, warning him away from their kill.

Anger washed through him and his eyes narrowed into a sharp glare that cut through their warning with a glacial warning of his own. Their fear sent them running with their tails between their legs, abandoning their prey in a moment of self-preservation. Any bravery was abandoned in the presence of Lord Sesshomaru's stony glare.

Wolves absent, he could hear the quiet whimpering and sobs of the hidden human girl.

In his peripheral the staff of two heads swayed as Jaken padded forwards, singing his praise. "Well, well, leave it to my Lord Sesshomaru. Just one killing stare..." He waddled forwards on tiny feet, to peer down at the body his Lord had saved from the fate of the wolves.

His eyes settled on the body and blood begna to drain from his cheeks. It was true that under the protection of Lord Sesshomaru the imp had seen many dead bodies. He'd seen hundreds, if not thousands of people fall at the hand of his Lord. He'd been the cause of many bodies piling up himself in the past. This body was in a league of it's own. It was greusome. His Lord didn't tear a body apart so brutally. Lord Sesshomaru boasted claws so sharp that the slice of them didn't tear skin, but sliced through it with admirable ease. This woman, though, was born and mangled by dull teeth and even more dull claws. Pale skin was torn carelessly, revealing torn muscle and bloodied bone.

A seed of nausea planted in the pit of his stomach as the sobbing and shaking of the girl underneath the cadaver caused the muscle to move, skin to tear further and blood to pour like water from her body. Sweat began to bead on his forehead. "Aww, what a shame," he muttered weakly, looking back at his Lord over his shoulder. He had to look away. His stomach couldn't take much more of that sight. "Killed by a single chomp." That may have been the single worst lie he had uttered in his great many years. This woman had died a terrible slow and painful death, but he couldn't allow himself to think so hard on that. His stomach would not handle him imagining what torture the woman had been through before she died. So he lied.

His Lord's silence was heavier than usual and his gaze turned nervously up to the demon. "Lord Sesshomaru," he broached carefully. "Did you have some use for this human...?" He highly doubted that his Lord would want a human child, so he didn't see fit to even mention her. It was marginally more likely that his Lord would have some use for the grown human woman. If he did want her, though, that use had long since passed. The woman was as dead as dead could be.

With a sharp exhale, Lord Sesshomaru pivoted on his heel. "No." His interest in the two humans had ben quashed quickly by Jaken daring to suggest that he would have use for them. What use could he, Lord Sesshomaru have for a mere human?

A little whimper halted his prideful steps as if the noise has formed a binding rope around his body. He could hear the sick movement of the cadaver shifting over the top of the little human girl and a cry of a name. Mio... So that was the woman's name? He listened to the pitiful sobs of the girl, staring at the ground at his feet. Her heart-wrenching sobs affected evevn him and his eyes slid shut for a mere second.

That little girl had cared for him for days, at her own disadvantage with his temper with a smile on her face. Hearing those uncharacteristic sobs unsettled the demon in a way he'd never felt before. Why would one crying human girl make him feel any level of sadness? He turned to face the girl. Reaffirming the mortality and useless of humans should ease this stupid sad feeling.

He found his feet bringing him closer to the two. His wish to reaffirm how pointless it was to show any care for creatures as mortal as humans by looking at them hadn't worked the way he had wanted it to. If anything, the sadness had gotten worse.

Tenseiga ratteld in its sheath and a piercing sound filled his head. '_Tenseiga... you're crying for her?_' A seductive stream of power curled through him as his hand settled on the worn handle of his restless sword. A quick flick of his wrist unsheathed the sword and he gazed down at the flawless polished metal. Jaken called out his name as the continuous flow of energy began pulsing, just like a heartbeat.

Movement beyond his blade caught his attention and his gaze flickered to the woman's body. '_I can see them._' Surrounding the two humans were a handdful of primitive creatures. They circled the corpse, leaning forwards to prod at her body. They chattered to each other, a primitive language of grunts and screeches that Lord Sesshomaru had no hopes of understanding. '_These messengers from the world beyond..._'

"Move," he ordered the little human girl. What had the woman called her? "Rin." He would test Tenseiga's power. At best it would stop the girl's crying and thus his own sadness. At worst it would just affirm that his inheritance from his father was a joke.

The child sniffed and looked up at him. Her searching eyes must have found something that she trusted because she obeyed him, shuffling away from the cadaver and folding her hands in her lap. Tenseiga pulsed impatiently in his grip and another flash of that desuctive power teased through him, urging him. Test the power, test the power.

It took only a short flick of his wrist to do just that. His useless sword that could not cut living flesh sliced through the messengers cleanly and easily. Excitement ran through him. His sword had cut through their flesh so perfectly.

"Lord Sesshoaru?" asked the imp behind him, hesitant in his questioning of his Lord. Lord Sesshomaru sheathed his sword and dropped to one knee before the body. The girl weighed nothing in his arm as he propped her up. He wanted to know immediately if his test had positive results. Her head lolled lifelessly against the fur of his tail. She was still, no pulse, no breathing. This woman was-

Ba-dum.

His sharp ears picked up a weak pulse. A single heartbeat.

She was alive.

He ignored his vassal's screeching voice as his mind began to race. A slow smirk curled his lips. '_Hm, the Tenseiga... This blade, if I use it well, may come in hand after all._' He could ressurrect people that could aid him. If any ally he gained in his ventures fell, he could bring them back to fight at his side once again.

Yes, this sword could certainly be of use to him.

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**Information time!**

**Chin - **The Japanese Chin is a small dog breed. I've always believed that pets show a lot about their owners, so the choice for Saburo to have a small dog like the Chin, that was spoiled and unpleasant, shows his small and unpleasant personality. If any of you were curious, if Mio were to have a dog, I'd probably give her a Kai Ken; a medium sized, fairly rare dog that's known to be agile, intelligent and brave. A good guard dog and generally quite good with children.

**Kaiken - **A dagger with a blade between twenty and twenty five centimetres with a single or double edge. It was usually held by samurai or their wives and was used for self defence in areas that the katana or wakizashi wouldn't be convenient in. It was also used during Jigai, the risual suicide of wives of samurai that had performed seppuku.

**Let us go, Jaken - **I changed the original quote here. I am the sort of person that sticks strictly to true quotes when I write fanfics that involve canon events. If you were to pick up a copy of InuYasha volume 14 and flick to page 41, you'll see that Sesshomaru used the quote '...Let us go home, Jaken.' I only changed one word in the quote, and for good reason, but I felt I had to explain my reasoning for _why _I made this change. Sesshomaru is nomadic. It's been stated that the Dog General didn't award Sesshomaru with anything but the Tenseiga, which means that he didn't inherit a title, army or even a home from his father before he died. Lord Sesshomaru has nothing but the Tenseiga from his father. He isn't a true Lord, as far as the owning of land goes. His nomadic lifestyle means he has no home, so I thought the use of the word home in this quote just didn't fit with that, so I excluded it.

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**Review corner!**

**Setsuna1986 - **I was grinning like the idiot boy I am all the while, while I wrote her punching him. He most certainly did deserve it and Mio deserved that moment of badassery, even if it was immedaitely followed by her getting punched back. Mio was running through the forest terrified for her life after meeting Koga. I just didn't put any detail into writing that this time around. I had her sobbing pathetically into Tahei's chest instead. She kept a hair of Sesshomaru's in the old version, too! In fact, I leeched some of the description of the hair bit right from the last version, almost word for word at times. Now, you'll find out whether the heat goes away or not! The hair does, indeed, play quite a part at times in the future. The screaming isn't something new, I've just never had it while I've been trying to write. I'll try and put enough time aside every week to get a chapter out weekly! Though my plannings are creeping slowly towards the end of my manga collection and I wont be able to do too much until I buy the rest of the manga. That shouldn't be too much of a problem for a couple of months, though, hopefully. As always, looking forward to future reviews!**  
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**TheOpheliac - **Of course I do! Being able to go in with little to no plan and just have everything work perfectly (as I assure you, I do with the majority of my chapters for this) is one of the best feelings for an author. Aye, Tahei is an incredibly great character, both as characters go, and to write. I like characters that are wholly good, but have a rough edge to them. Very interesting to write. I hope you forgive me for what I did to Tahei and Mio, though! I'm liking the dynamic Rin and Mio have, too, even if it's only because I enjoy writing Mio worry and suffer. Rin not immediately taking to her made her suffer a lot, poor girl. You found out where she was leading Mio this chapter! Was it all you hoped for? It's super awesome to hear that I have loyal followers! Truth be told that in the past few chapters, I've had them written up and ready to post a few hours before you've read the previous chapter, and I've waited for your review because I know it's coming and it would feel strange not responding to your review in review corner! I hope the Panther arc doesn't disappoint, because there's one thing in that arc that I'm changing big-time to fit Mio in, and its at the expense of knocking Sesshomaru's character a little bit. Hopefully I'll be able to write it well enough to make up for that knock. Maybe people wont even notice! We'll see. Thank you for the kind words on my home life. I really appreciate them!

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**The first thousand words came much easier this chapter! No screaming harpies at my back.**

**Sesshomaru's here, Sesshomaru's here! Took long enough, hmm? Over a chapter longer than last time, but I hope the wait was worth it! From here the romance can only blossom!**

**I really enjoyed writing in Sesshomaru's point of view. There was something... fun about putting myself in Sesshomaru's head and trying to peice together why he does what he does and write it down in a coherent way. It was a very interesting experience and I thinkk I may have gotten a little carried away doing it. That section was a lot longer than I expected it to be by the time I had finished it. I doubt you guys are complaining about that, though, huh?**

**Mio and Sesshomaru's first meeting was different this time around, naturally. There was less bonding between Mio and Sesshomaru before the ressurection. The ressurection was done on the merit of Sesshomaru and Rin's bonding. I've seen a lot of fics that focus heavily on the OC bonding with Sesshomaru and Rin separately, but show very little bonding between Sesshomaru and Rin. That definitely won't be the case here. At this point in the game, Rin having had looked after Sesshomaru for days while he's been injured trumps Mio's short interaction with him.**

**So I'm thinking about starting another fanfic alongside Kagome Kagome. A Death Note fanfic, with a Light/OC pairing. Would anyone be interested in reading that if I did start posting it up?**

**Further along the topic of new things, would anyone be interested in seeing some sketches of the characters? Of Mio, Saburo, Gen, Aguri, Yone and Tahei? They won't be amazing, mind, but I would like to show you guys my visuals of the characters if you'd be interested.**


	6. Scroll Five

**Im running out of ways to greet you guys now so this bit's going to be quick.**

**Thank you to everyone that took the time to read chapter four!**

**On with the show**

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**Warning!**

There are some upsetting themes in the beginning of this chapter. Read on at your own risk.

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**Kagome Kagome**

Scroll Five

* * *

The pain of the beating had long since faded into a disconnected numbness. My mind barely registed each jolt of my body as a kick connected and I'd stopped hearing the words being screamed at me.

The world around me was fading fast.

I was dying. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that this was the end for me.

What had started out as a simple argument - a repeat of an argument from earier in the week - ended in a terrible terrible way. I couldremember being touched, feeling the weight of hands on my body in a disconnected sort of realisation of what was happening.

Then nothing.

Blissful nothingness overtook me.

Waking up left me confused and groggy.

I was dead. That blissful feeling was unmistakable. I had never had much thought of an afterlife. I believed that there was no afterlife. So why was I awake? Why did I feel so groggy and painful?

"Miss Hayashi? Miss Hayashi, can you hear me?"

Opening my eyes bought a whole new wave of pain down on me. This place wasn't an afterlife. The white tiled ceiling was far too familiar to me. Hospital. I was alive. Had they bought me back?

Why would they be so cruel?

A thought forced itself into my groggy mind and I, in turn, forced my lips to move. "Are they...?"

An icy hand touched my wrist. "We lost them."

Saburo had won the argument.

* * *

Groggy.

Groggy and confused.

I was alive.

* * *

_'I hear breathing.' _I could hear someone's soft, steady breathing as if their chest was pressed against my ear. I could feel the soft brush of coarse fur against my cheek. Was I laying against an animal?

It was long moment before any real conscious thought began to filter into my mind.

Heavy lids peeled back from my tired eyes and I gazed upwards blindly. My blurry vision focussed slowly and my gaze met a sharp golden stare. The boy that Rin had taken me to. His heat was phenomenal. I could feel exactly where his arm was at my back, holding me up. That heat was like Rin's. Like the little girl from the festival. The wonderful feeling of belonging seeping through me.

I could feel and hear and smell and see. I was alive. Joy shot through me, a feeling so strong that I could feel my lips tilting upwards weakly into a smile. "Rin? Is she...?"

My answer came from a little voice warbling my name and a head popping into my vision. Rin's cheeks were smeared with blood and dirt and tear tracks. Her eyes were big and glassy with more tears. I exhaled a relieved breath and reached up to run her cheek gently with my thumb, wiping away her tear stains. "You shouldn't cry, honey." My voice was hoarse and weak, but it bought that heart-melting smile to her lips.

"Oh, Mio, it was so scary."

She spoke. My weak smile picked up as I continued to stroke her cheek gently. She'd finally spoken to me. It'd taken days, a punch in the face, being chased by w-wolves, being killed and somehow returning to life, but she'd finally spoken to me. The moment was so sweet, it made up for all the mess that I had endured to get to this point. "It's okay, honey. It's over now."

The arm under me moved, drawing my attention to the boy holding me up. The thank you I wanted to give him died on the tip of my tongue as our eyes met. I didn't know how I knew, but I did; this boy was the one that had bought me back to life. What do you say to someone that had bought you back to life? This was the second time going through it and I still didn't know what to say.

The boy set me down on the ground with a tenderness that was much appreciated and rose to his feet. The heat the enveloped me left, all bar one small spot at my breast, against my heart. "You will bathe then we will leave this area. Rin, aid her."

"But-" My voice cracked and I cleared my throat painfully before trying again. "What about the w-wolves?"

A grating squeak of a voice answered in a voice loud enough to make me wince. "Stupid human, do you think wolves would ever attack with Lord Sesshomaru around? They wouldn't dare!"

It took a moment of trying hard to focus on anything but the pounding in my head to look up at whoever had spoken. I waited for the shock of the sight to envelop me, but it never came. A little green creature was talking to me. "Kappa."

He squawked loudly in insulted denial. "A kappa? Well, I never! I am an imp! An imp! I've never been so insulted in all my life."

The voice rebounded in my skull and I cringed in on myself, curling into a ball. Both hands came up to press to my forehead, but my right hand didn't quite manage to get all the way to my head. Still clutched tightly in my right hand was the kaiken blade that Tahei had given me.

Tears pricked in my eyes. Everything hurt. My legs and hips and arms and head were in so much burning pain. My heart throbbed painfully at the memory of Tahei. I hurt everywhere.

"Rin," came the boy's firm order.

Said little girl jumped into action, pulling at my hand until it came away from my face, then trying to help me stand. Our attempts to get to the nearby river were pitiful, filled with Rin and I limping, many stops, staggering and even a little bit of crying as the burning in my legs became too much, but eventually we got there. My kaiken was set down carefully at my hip. Rin helped me pull off my kosode, but fell short on the knowledge of how to remove my bra. With great effort on my part, I unhooked it and set it down beside me.

The heat at my breast disappeared and my hand snatched through the air in a speed I didn't think I could have managed, feeling as terrible as I did right now. I couldn't lose that warmth, though. It was a comfort that I would cling onto as best as I could. I refused to lose it. With one hand I held the little skein of hair tightly and with the other I began to splash water on my legs, washing off blood and dirt. Rin's little hands began splashing water on my body, too. Together we managed to wash away a good amount of dirt and blood.

My skin was dimpled on an odd way in a lot of places, like the muscle had been gouged out and the skin was left to lay atop the dip that was created. As I ran a wet hand over the dimpled flesh, I winced. The skin was so tender. It was paler than my natural skin and slightly pink, like it was new; like the healing skin of a burn. How had they managed to do this? This place seemed like it was living five hundred years in the past. How could they possibly have managed to heal me this well, when even back home didn't have the ability to do so?

I wouldn't be able to go searching for Tahei like this.

The thought came unbidden to my mind and a little sob shook my chest. I could hardly walk. Rin had done the majority of the walking for me. I'd just staggered as best I could under her guidance. There wasn't any logical way I could travel on my own to find Tahei. They could still be close to the village, but I wouldn't ever be able to get that far on my own in this condition.

I wouldn't be able to go looking for them. That bought a whole new wave of tears to my eyes. After dying, all I wanted right now was to curl up in Tahei's arms and seep up any comfort he was willing to give me like a human sponge.

"You have strange pictures, Mio," Rin's soft little voice whispered. Hot fingers stroked over the moon tattooed onto my back and I shivered. "People say that people that have these are bad people. I think they're wrong." My silence seemed to worry her, because her hands splayed over my shoulder blades. "Mio? You're quiet."

I forced a smile. "I'm okay." It was a lie and I knew that Rin didn't believe me before the words even finished leaving my mouth. I breathed out a shaky breath. "I'll be okay," I ammended. If nothing else, my life had prepared me to get through tough situations and survive. I would get through this just fine. "Let's try and get some of the blood out of my clothes."

The two of us worked together, scrubbing as best as we could at the purple hemp fabric. The cold river water managed to remove a lot of the stains, but there were quite a few that were stubborn. Not for the first time, I wished for something from home. Toothpaste or baking soda or even meat tenderiser. I didn't use the powder on my meat, but I always kept a box around because it worked wonderfully on blood stains.

I sighed in despair as I held up the sopping wet kosode. We'd given cleaning it the old college try, but it was still very clearly stained in a lot of places and there were holes missing from the fabric where the w-wolves had torn through it to get to my body. "I can't wear this, can I?" It was a perfect disaster. I didn't want to wear this around people.

I didn't have much of a choice, though, did I? Even if it was torn, it was more of a overing than my tiny underwear and dirty bra.

Resigning myself, I hung up the kosode to dry on a tree and returned, limping, to the river to try and wash out my hair.

My kosode was still damp when the imp broke through the trees complaining loudly about how long the two of us were taking to bathe. His rant broke off suddenly when his eyes settled on the two of us sat on the bank, both naked, with our backs to him but looking over our shoulders directly at him. He flushed and interesting shade of brown and flailed his arms, ammending his rant to tell us that we were both lewd and that it was totally inappropriate that we were so naked - and was that a tattoo? Oh, it was truly terrible how he'd been assigned to care for such terrible human criminals by his great Lord.

When he realised that Rin nor I were particularly paying attention to his rant, he ordered us to dress with a sharp bark.

"Where's your hadajuban, girl?" the imp shreiked after I had donned my bra, tucking the skein into and underwear and began shrugging on my damp kosode.

"I don't have one." Yone had given me the kosode, but not a hadajuban to wear. I'd just used my bra and underwear in the past few days. I hadn't really thought about it. I wasn't dressing to be traditional; I was dressing to stay warm for the coming winter. September was chilly this year and it was only going to get coldren from here.

The imp gave a loud sigh, as if I had physically pained him by admitting it. I ignored him as I tied my obi around my waist and got a look at myself. The front of the kosode wasn't too badly ripped. The back was a disaster around my legs and arms, but my ass and the majority of my back was covered, so it would have to do until... I didn't know how I would get myself a new kosode, but I would find a way.

I made sure that the kaiken was stored safely in my sleeve before ushering Rin to follow the imp back into the forest.

* * *

After a sleepless night in the forest, the boy, who the imp had impatiently told us was the great Lord Sesshomaru that evening as we sat around a fire that the imp had conjured, had ordered us to move forwards. The morning was torture on my sore muscles, but we broke from the forest before too long and found ourselves walking over a breath taking landscape.

Midday saw us taking a much-needed rest by a river bank.

"Jaken," Lord Sesshomaru summoned from his place leant against a tree trunk on the river bank. The imp waddled over and listened to a murmured order as I occupied myself with looking over the kaiken I had hold of. The wood was a light colour and plain. It was dimpled with dents and scars of heavy use. This blade had served Tahei well over the years. How many times had it protected him? I withdrew the blade form its sheath and looked over it. It was wickedly sharp, but the metal was dull. Practicality was higher on Tahei's list of importance than image, it looked like.

Rin splashed around in the river, occasionally throwing a fish to the bank. The fish floundered its way back into the water, but was soon replaced.

"Mio, we should eat some of these fish" the girl exclaimed after she'd thrown her third fish to the bank.

Giving myself something to do was much appreciated. I leant over to grasp the closest fish. I worked on muscle memory as I prepared the fish, cutting its fins, scaling it and ridding it of its head and guts. I worked quickly and precisely with Tahei's kaiken. Soon I had two prepared and ready to be speared and set around the fire Jaken had prepared.

Before reaching for the third I raised my head to ask Jaken if he wanted any, but a quick search of the area turned up no imp. "Oh, where's Jaken?" I asked myself.

Surprisingly my musings were answered. "Running errands." Lord Sesshomaru had his eyes closed and his right arm resting up on a bent knee when I looked back at him. He looked like he was asleep. I questioned whether he really had just answered me.

"I suppose I'll cook him some fish anyway. Would you like some, Lord Sesshomaru?"

His eyes flickered open and stared ahead. "I don't eat human food."

"You don't eat human food?" I repeated with an incredulous arch of my brow. What did the boy eat then, if not food?

It was his turn to allow a thin silver brow to arch upwards in an incredulous look, but he didn't say anything. I huffed quietly.

Jaken returned carrying two large furoshiki cloths bulging with something balanced in his grip just as Rin and I bit into our fish. "Lord Sesshomaru! I've found what you asked for!" He tripped and the two bound packages went flying with him.

"Be careful, Jaken," Rin called out around a mouthful of fish.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," I scolded gently.

"You will finish eating then dress before we leave," Lord Sesshomaru ordered.

As it turns out, the furoshiki cloths wrapped new kosodes for Rin and I. Once she'd demolished her fish and half of mine, she showed hers off with a giggle. It was a cute yellow and orange checkered affair spattered with a green circle design. "It's beautiful, Rin," I complimented as I reached for my own furoshiki parcel. At the very top of the neatly folded pile of clothing was a pristine white hadajuban. Under said underclothing was a beautiful pale yellow kosode with a design of pink flowers. The sash was thin and long in the same pink as the flowers. I ran my hand gently over the material. It was thick hemp. I would certainly stay warm during the winter in this. "It's incredible."

* * *

I improved greatly over the next few days of travelling. My aching muscles eased off and even the sharp throbbing of my foot mellowed out, though I still limped on it uncomfortably. Daily either Lord Sesshomaru or _Master _Jaken (as he demanded we refer to him as) would leave on an errand and return to us within a few hours.

Once they had returned from their errand, we had a meal and either carried on for the rest of the day or settled down for the evening depending on whether they went out in the morning or afternoon. The constant presence of one or the other became a sort of comfort to me as we travelled. Every few hours some creature appeared determined to attack one of us. Lord Sesshomaru or Master Jaken would do away with them quickly and easily. Knowing Rin and I had such strong protectors was a great comfort to me.

During lunch of one day, I didn't touch the root vegetables Rin had found out in the forest and had me cook up. We'd doused the fire as soon as the vegetables were cooked through. "I'm worried about Master Jaken," I sighed. He'd gone out on an errand for Lord Sesshomaru in the early morning. I had expected him to be back before lunch, as always, but midday had gone by without his return. After waiting another hour, I had made lunch. Worry still filled me now as I stared at my food. "He should be back by now."

"Don't worry, Lady Mio! Master Jaken is strong. He'll be back before you know it," Rin assured. After the long-winded rant Master Jaken had given about being respectful when you addressed people seemed to have stuck with the girl. She'd been calling me Lady Mio for days and wouldn't go back to calling me Mio even at my insistence. It was sweet how respectful she was, but I felt uncomfortable being called 'Lady' anything.

"His errands haven't taken this long before. What if something went wrong?"

Lord Sesshomaru rose gracefully to his feet and turned on his heel. "Stay here."

I hoped he was going to find Master Jaken.

A busy mind left alone festers, so I needed to find a way to keep myself occupied. "Rin, shall we play a game until Lord Sesshomaru and Master Jaken return?" I could teach her a game or two from my home to keep the two of us busy. At her excited 'yes' I took a moment to decide what to teach her. "Have you heard of ship captain's orders?" She shook her head and waited with baited breath for me to explain. "Well, I'm going to tell you to do something. If I say ship captain's orders before that order, you do it. If I don't then you don't do it. If you do something when the ship captain doesn't order, you lose. Get it?"

"Yes!" Rin jumped up and waited for her first order.

"Ship captain's orders: jump up and down." The little girl began to hop up and down like a bunny rabbit. "Well done, Rin. Touch your nose." She stopped jumping, but gave me an indignant pout. "Very well done. Ship captain's orders: touch your nose." This time she did touch her nose.

I smiled as we carried on playing, slowly losing the uneasiness of Jaken not coming back to us on time. We played ship captain's orders for another three rounds. Rin even managed to get me up and following her orders at one point. When we couldn't think of any more silly orders to make each other attempt, I decided that we could use the surrounding meadow to keep ourselves occupied. I had Rin collect as many flowers as she could while I settled against a tree at the edge of the meadow.

When her hands were full, she ran to me and dumped a pile of flowers by my thigh.

I busied myself with stripping flower stems of their leaves and braiding them together tightly into a thick, lush flower crown for the girl.

A few yards away, Rin sighed heavily as she plucked a flower from the ground. "Sesshomaru's so late..."

"Be polite, Rin," I called out idly as I focussed on braiding stems. I didn't particularly want for Master Jaken's first words to us back to be a rant on manners and proper ways to address your betters because he'd heard Rin refer to Lord Sesshomaru by just his name rather than his title.

"Yes, Lady Mi-oh!" I looked up from my braided chain and a relieved smile curled my lips. At the other end of the meadow, with the bright afternoon sun behind them, was Lord Sesshomaru and Master Jaken just emerging from the trees. Behind them, led by a harness around their muzzle were two scaled creatures. No, one, I realised. It was one creature with two heads. I shoifted slightly, llifting my head to get a better look at it around Lord Sesshomaru's majestic-looking form. His appearance had made a drastic turn from when we'd first met. Gone was the bloody clothing and broken armour. In its place was the finest of white and red silk, the shiniest armour.

"Rin, do not move," Lord Sesshomaru ordered in a stern voice. The girl froze in her excited sprint towards the boy just as Lord Sesshomaru bent his knees and leaped into the air. He cleared Rin's head as easily if he'd just taken a step and hurtled towards me, the sword in his grip raised.

I flinched, covering my head as he hacked at the tree next to the one I was leaning against. It splintered under his sword and little chips of wood pelted my arms and face. The tone of Lord Sesshomaru's voice pierced my ears as I scrambled to try and get away from the shower of wood. I wasn't focussing enough on the boy to hear the words he was speaking, just the tone of his voice; my attention was taken up entirely by trying to get out of the range of Lord Sesshomaru's attacks. What could have possibly angered him so much?

A pereson, it seems, as an unfamiliar voice filled the air. I didn't quite catch the answering words of whoever Lord Sesshomaru had attacked, but I caught the tone, too. That was enough to make me pause in my attempts of getting away, swivelling around on my unsteady feet to get a look at the person.

A beautiful young woman wasn't what I expected Lord Sesshomaru would have attacked.

But there she was, a woman that looked a year or two younger than myself stood at the edge of the forest, dressed in a striking purple and white cloth. Her red eyes were alight with a seductive glow and her red-painted lips caressed her words as she spoke them. "A fine looking man," she complimented, a leer for Lord Sesshomaru in her gaze. Her closed fan hovered in front of her face as a coy pretence.

I gripped at the flowers that I still gripped in my hands, glancing between Lord Sesshomaru and the woman. The deep crimson shade of her eyes wasn't natural for a human. Nor was the awe-inspiring grace of her movements. She had to be a demon. But weren't demons supposed to be ugly and terrifying? Almost every story I had read involving demons described them as dangerous and scary creatures. I'd never thought they could be as beautiful as this woman.

The demon woman continued on. "I am the wind witch Kagura. You may call me a shade of Naraku."

Naraku? The name wasn't familiar to me, but the muffled squawk of Master Jaken behind me said that it was a familiar name to Master Jaken. By rule of thumb, if Master Jaken knew something, then Lord Sesshomaru was likely to know, too.

So who was he? A friend or foe?

The way Lord Sesshomaru had attacked her suggested foe, but she wasn't attacking; just talking. That didn't mark a foe, to me.

"Listen." Having always been in a school environment in one way or another it was instilled in me that that one word meant you paid full attention to whoever was speaking. Not to disappoint that ingrained reaction, my full attention settled on the woman, even though it was clear that she wasn't speaking to me. "You have power, don't you? Perhaps even enough…" She paused, her lips curling up into a smirk. "To dispose of Naraku himself?"

My brows drew together in confusion. Wasn't she associated with Naraku? She'd said before that she was a shade of him. Why would she want to dispose of him?

With one swipe, she plucked the feather from her perfectly coiled bun and threw it up in the air. I watched in amazement as it grew to a size big enough for her to sit on. "That sword is yours," she called down to us as the feather caught the breeze and lifted in the air. The wind swept her, feather and all, away.

"She's a hard one to trust, isn't she?" Master Jaken asked, plodding past me to stand besides Lord Sesshomaru, watching the woman's form shrink on the horizon.

"Who is she?" I asked quietly, questions bubbling unbidden from my lips. Curiosity ate at me. "Who's Naraku?"

That whole conversation seemed to hold a level of importance to Master Jaken and Lord Sesshomaru that I hadn't bee able to understand. It just left me thoroughly confused. Who was Naraku? Who was Kagura? Why did Kagura want to dispose of this Naraku? Why was she coming to Lord Sesshomaru with that wish?

Ignoring my whispered questions, Lord Sesshomaru looked back over his shoulder. "Rin," he called out. "You may move now."

Not willing to give up my curiosity, I looked down at Master Jaken. "Who's Naraku?" I asked again.

Master Jaken hesitated, his gaze turning up to Lord Sesshomaru to gauge the man's reaction before he spoke. No reaction was given by the stoic teen. "He's a half-demon," he answered in a quiet voice that I found quite out of character for the imp. "He-"

"Enough, Jaken." The tone of Lord Sesshomaru's voice forced a chill down my spine. I'd never heard his voice so cold before. "I do not want to be reminded."

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**Information time!**

**Kappa - **A creature of Japanese folklore that lives in rivers or lakes. They're said to be about the size of a child, with scaled skin either green, yellow or blue in colour. The most consistent features are a beak and hair with a portion atop their head that is always wet. When they move away from water, that portion of their head must stay wet. If it doesn't kappa's lose their powers and may even die. It's believed that when bowed to, a kappa must always bow back as kappa are obsessed with politeness. While bowing, the water atop its head (generally held in a bowl) spills and it is rendered powerless. If a person fills that bowl again, the kappa becomes their eternal servant.

**The old college try - **A vigorous and committed attempt at something.

**Hadajuban - **A hadajuban is the first layer of kimono attire; a thin usually white kimono that goes under the rest of the layers. It's like the underwear layer.

**Ship captain's orders - **The Japanese version of Simon Says. Simon Says was one of my favourite games as a child so I had to bring it into here somehow.

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**Review corner!**

**The Oheliac - **Tahei will return. This isn't the last we'll see of this merry band of criminals. I thought so too; I've been nosing around other Sesshomaru/OC fics recently and I'm a little tired of seeing Rin fall wholly and immediately in love with the OC. I wanted to give this fic a little bit of a shake-up from the norm. I thought that with her history of abuse, Rin would be less willing to trust villagers, and with the way that her family died, willing to trust a 'criminal' even less than that. I liked giving that element of ditrust to their relationship, and, even though Rin's character on the subject does change immensely in this chapter - saving her from being killed by wolves will do that - the distrust hasn't completely gone away. Pffft, at that time in the manga, would Sesshomaru ever show he was worried about anything? I tried to cement his prideful demonic nature and his choice not to ever let anyone know what he's thinking or feeling while I was writing in his point of view. I hope that came across well when you were reading it. I did indeed wait for little old you! It doesn't feel like a chapter unless I'm replying to my two favourite readers' reviews. We'll see soon. There are maybe two or three chapters before the Panther Deva arc makes its appearance. I dont actually plan out how many chapter's there'll be, and currently I dont even have chapter six on the go yet, so I can't tell you exactly how many chapter's there'll be between now and then. It'll be just as much of a surprise for me as it is for you! Ha, I don't think anyone I know would call me regular (or even human for that matter). Happiness and luck and health to you, too! I'll see you next chapter.

**Setsuna1986 - **I tried to give Mio a realistic sort of character. Abuse can change a personality a lot, but Mio's hot-headedness was a trait that could never die. I'm glad I managed to pull that off! The hair was mentioned in this chapter and it'll probably be used in quite a few chapters in the future. What part are you talking about with the screaming woman? I glanced through the chapter and I couldn't pick out what bit you were talking about. When I read manga online I get some of the most painful splitting headaches and I find the translations leave a lot to be desired for consistency. And I'm a manga feind (I own over 600 volumes all in all) so I really do want to finish collecting InuYasha. When I bought myself the first volume, I promised myself that InuYasha would be the first manga series I would finish collecting; every single volume. That's how much I love this series. Five years down the line, I own thirty of the fifty six volumes, one of the art books and I've managed to get ahold of one of the American-style comic prints of a chapter. It's been a slow process 'cause I got distracted by Naruto and Bleach (dangerous thing) but I'm getting there and I can't just give up and stop collecting now. I'm hoping that I'll get a few of the volumes for Christmas. That's what I've suggested people buy me, at least. I honestly don't know how often we'll be looking into Sesshomaru's head, but Im certain that it'll happen a couple more times throughout the fic. Currently, Mio doesn't know Sesshomaru's a demon! She has the ability to identify things that aren't human (the odd feelings that she's been getting and the way her hair reacts) but she's not knowledgable enough on demons of this era yet to know that Sesshomaru is a demon properly. She's just trusting gut instincts telling her that he's different. And being a little grumpy over how rude he was to her. Aye, another fic. I started writing it before I started rewriting this. I've got a chapter and a half written so far (and a lot of plans in the works) and I'm enjoying the way it's going. I think I'll leave posting it up until I get a schedule going on this fic if I do decide to share. I'll try sketching all the characters out when I have some free time in the next week or so. I'm terrible at drawing more than one person in a scene but I'll try to do a height line-up for you. They'll likely be posted on my DA page and I'll link them to my profile. Looking forward to more reviews!

**These reviews are getting quite long! I would say we need to make reviews and replies shorter, but I'd be lying through my teeth. I live for these long reviews. You guys are awesome for giving me such great reviews to reply to!**

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**The beginning of this chapter (the first scene) is a flashback to Mio's past. Her past has changed slightly, and I've taken away a lot of detail in some places and added it in others. The scene is a lot more simple and more broken down than my usual writing style. It's intentional. Mio was barely conscious and not capable of much thought, so the writing style reflected that. I like the parallels between both times she's woken up after dying, too. It truly shows Mio's caring character more than I could ever write her to be in any other situation. After dying, she asks about someone else first. Her bleeding heart, to take a phrase from Tahei, is truly a wonderful thing.**

**Once again it took an age to get the first bit down. A thousand words seems to be the marker for me. Once I get over a thousand words, I'm usually fine, but those thousand words can be brutal. Ironing out little details in things before I can get to the exciting stuff isn't something Im good at. This is another transition chapter to bigger and better things. This time around, we'll be seeing the events of _Affections Touching Across Time. _Somehow I'll find a way to get around the terrible continuity errors the film threw at Sesshomaru en mass. After Affections, we'll be moving onto the Panther Deva arc. So many exciting things that involve a good amount of Sesshomaru-Mio bonding.**

**I took some liberties with Tenseiga's power here. Mio's body was in a terrible condition before Tenseiga revived her. I assumed that if Mio was going to be revived, Tenseiga would have to heal her enough to stay alive. So her wounds are mostly patched up. She's missing some muscle here and there, and the skin is fresh and tender, but it's mostly healed. I got the dimpled idea from two places: House and Southern Vampire Mysteries. House because that let me know that it's possible to lose muscles and still live, even if it's with chronic pain, and Southern Vampire Mysteries because, if memory serves me right, one of the books went into detail about the dimpled look of healed skin when chunks of legs had been torn out.**

**I stole some of the last version of this chapter. There'll be a little bit of the last version cropping up in the next chapter or two. Particularly Kagura's first interaction with Sesshomaru and Bokuseno's scene.**


	7. Scroll Six

**This chapter, in part, follows the events of the first film: Affections Touching Across Time. It will follow the English dubbed dialogue.**

**At this chapter, we're now just one chapter away from where I was the first time I wrote this fic. ****I promised that I'd get us to the Panther Deva arc, so you'll be getting maybe one more of these super fast updates before I go on (at Setsuna1986's request) a weekly schedule.**

**I'm taking a little liberty with the timeframe of canon events. There should be a day or two between Sesshomaru fighting beserk InuYasha and the events of the first film, but I'm putting a few hours between it because it flows better in this fic. So for placement, as Lord Sesshomaru was returning to the forest from fighting beserk InuYasha, he was attacked by Ruri and Hari, as he was attacked in his first scene in the first film. I hope that makes sense to you guys.**

**I'm making a little change in the events of Affections Touching Across Time. During the credits of the film, it shows a clip of Sesshomaru looking over Menomaru's body. I am not adding this in. Instead I'm replacing this small scene with the scene at the beginning of the Panther Deva arc; which will be appearing in the next chapter. The two scenes are similar: Sesshomaru appraising the damage that InuYasha left behind after using the Backlash wave. So Sesshomaru's going wander off to Ryukotsusei's corpse instead of staying behind to take a gander at Menomaru. I honestly don't know why Sesshomaru was even added into Affections. He played such a minor role in the film. It seemed like he was just slotted in for the sake of having a Sesshomaru appearance to entice fans with. The only reason I decided to add those scenes into this fic this time around was because they gave me a perfect opportunity to create some tension between Mio and Sesshomaru.**

**I'll stop gabbing your ears off now.**

**Thank you everyone that read the last chapter and on we go!**

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**Kagome Kagome**

Scroll Six

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The two-headed creature, a dragon so Master Jaken explained, had been a loyal creature of Lord Sesshomaru's for years. He'd been bought into our little travelling band for my benefit, the imp had claimed. They had noticed the limp that hadn't healed in the week since they'd known me and decided to do something about it so I wouldn't slow them down. Thankful to be off my feet, I had hoisted myself up onto the dragon as soon as Lord Sesshomaru had informed us that we were leaving the meadow.

We'd travelled two days before Lord Sesshomaru led us into a dense forest. He'd hoisted Rin silently onto the dragon's saddle in front of me by the back of her green sash then walked ahead silently, head held high as if he hadn't just helped a human girl. It hadn't taken Rin long to get comfortable on the great beast and begin chattering away in the upbeat way that I never would have thought she'd ever achieve when I first met her. "I think they should be called A and Un," Rin decided, leaning forwards so she could pat the back of one of the dragon's heads. "It mustn't be very nice to not have a name. I'd be very sad if I wasn't called Rin. What about you, Lady Mio?"

I smiled softly, patting the girl's hip. "I wouldn't like not having a name, either. It's very sad not to have a name. So you want to call them A and Un?"

"A-Un for short," she insisted.

"I think A-Un will be a great name. Don't you think so, too, Master Jaken?"

Master Jaken huffed something unintelligible, probably along the lines of not caring about what foolish humans like us name things. His annoyance over the small 'human' things we do had quickly become an endearing feature for me. He acted very much like an exasperated uncle in my opinion. Someone who didn't want to deal with 'foolish kids' like us humans but still tolerated us to some extent. I had seen him use that staff to get rid of some of the low-level demons that attacked us occasionally. There was no doubt in my mind that he could very well kill us if the wanted to. Yet he protected us and complained endlessly.

A strong breeze rustled through the canopy, followed by a deep, rumbling voice. "I've been thinking it was time you came for a visit, Sesshomaru."

"A voice," Rin exclaimed, raising her hand to shield her eyes as she looked up into the canopy, searching for the source of the voice. "From up in the sky."

I followed Rin's example, looking around curiously for the source of the voice. Of course, a disembodied voice wasn't something I'd never experienced before. There were always notices coming from intercoms back home. I thought nothing of it back there. But here there was no technology and we were outside in a forest. The bodiless voice couldn't have come from an intercom. So what was it?

"You knew that I would come, Bokuseno?" Lord Sesshomaru replied. His sure strides stopped at the foot of a huge tree, prompting Master Jaken and the newly dubbed A-Un to stop, too. Rin wriggled and slid off A-Un. Now that we'd stopped the girl didn't want to be confined to the dragon's back was my bet.

"I know why you come, too," replied the voice again. "It's about the sword. About Tetsusaiga, the heirloom of your father." The tree Lord Sesshomaru had stopped in front of began to warp and from a knot emerged a wizened old face. "What else?"

The tree was talking? I had seen a lot in the past few weeks. Demons of all kinds. Wolves. Real fights and what seemed like history in the making. But I didn't think I would see a talking tree. Of all the things I had seen, the talking tree was the strangest to me. It took time to be able to process it properly.

And when I finally had processed that and returned my attention to the conversation Lord Sesshomaru was having with the _tree _I was completely lost. They were talking about 'the blood of ice' and someone called InuYasha. Something demon-related that I had no knowledge of and wasn't following even as I listened intently to the conversation.

In the end, I just leant against one of A-Un's strong necks and listened to Lord Sesshomaru's voice. Even if I couldn't understand what he was saying, his voice was pleasant to listen to. A smooth, deep tone that I almost couldn't believe came from a teenager.

The conversation was cut short by Lord Sesshomaru sweeping past A-Un. The cloth of his fluttering sleeve brushed against my calf and the hot rush that passed through me caused me to jerk up. That warm feeling again. Since Lord Sesshomaru had held me after reviving me, I hadn't felt that shock of hot comfort. There was something more to it than the warmth Rin exuded. "Wh-where's he going?" I asked, staring at his back as he glided through the flora surrounding him.

Master Jaken merely huffed. "How should I know, you silly human? Rin, get back on the dragon. We must follow after our Lord."

* * *

Master Jaken got us lost wandering through the dense forest. A fact that Rin complained about loudly as Master Jaken and A-Un padded through the trees, trying to find our way out.

The sun set and we were still travelling.

Rin fell asleep leaning back against my chest and we were still travelling.

"Master Jaken," I spoke sharply enough to catch his attention, but quietly enough to not stir Rin. The imp looked up at me. "It's getting late and Rin's already asleep. We should settle down for the night. Lord Sesshomaru will be able to find us." Running around in circles in the middle of a dense forest was a silly thing to do. We were better off staying still and waiting for Lord Sesshomaru to come back and find us when he was ready.

Master Jaken looked uneasy at the suggestion but eventually conceded and bought A-Un to a stop. I manouvred myself around carefully, slipping off the dragon and carefully drawing Rin into my arms. She was heavier than she looked and I struggled under her weight, but managed to take her to the floor without waking her up or knocking her around. I stroked her knotted hair from her face as I sat besides her.

Silence blanketed us as we settled in to wait.

My eyes flickered from Rin's face, up to the imp sat silently with his arms folded protectively around his staff.

"Master Jaken," I broached carefully. He cracked one yellow eye open. "The other day, with that woman-" I chewed on my chapped lower lip. "When I asked about her, about this Naraku character... Why did Lord Sesshomaru interrupt?" It had bothered me that Lord Sesshomaru had interrupted and forced Master Jaken silent. I had let it go initially, but it had been eating at me since then. Finally it had gotten too much.

The imp snorted and fixed both large yellow eyes on me in an unnerving stare. "You think I would betray my Lord by telling you what he forbid me to?" His voice was lower than usual, lacking the screeching quality I was used to. He sounded serious and scolding.

I certainly felt like I had been scolded as I shifted on my spot. "No, I suppose not." If nothing else, Master Jaken had proven his unflinching loyalty to his lord. I knew that he wouldn't tell me. Still... "It was worth a try." The curiosity was going to be the death of me, but I couldn't force a loyal man to betray his Lord's order.

Silence descended again.

"Naraku gave my Lord the greatest of insults. That is all I'll say on the subject."

It wasn't the detail that I craved, but that did answer one question for me. Naraku, whoever he was, wasn't a friend of Lord Sesshomaru's. "Thank you, Master Jaken," I thanked sincerely with a smile. He didn't have to tell me even that much. He didn't dignify my thanks with anything more than a quiet huff.

Silence blanketed us again.

"You're lame." The sudden comment broke me from my thoughts about whether Rin would sit still enough to let me braid her hair. I'd heard that word be used as an insult for years as a teacher and I felt insulted for a tense moment before I realised that Master Jaken was staring at my foot. He didn't mean it as an insult. It was just an honest observation to him. "How did it happen?"

I ran my hand over my ankle. Just above it was one of those strange dimples. "I don't know," I admitted. "I think it might be a splinter of glass that Saburo couldn't find that's still embedded into my foot. It's not too much of an inconvenience to me, though." There was a bit of pain - and some days it hurt worse than others - but it didn't slow me down too much on good days. It didn't hurt my quality of life much.

"You don't know a lot, do you, human? Not knowing what ails you - how pathetic!"

I gave him that one with a little nod.

The next long silence was broken not by conversation but by a snore. Master Jaken had fallen asleep curled around his staff protectively.

Since the wolf attack, I had found it difficult to sleep. I stayed upp as late as I could, fallen asleep to suffer terrible night terrors, woken during the night and not been able to get back to sleep again. The lack of sleep was affecting me, but I just couldn't bring myself to consciously try to sleep. It was too scary. I didn't want to keep reliving that attack.

A rustling in the trees some hours later had me peeling heavy lids from tired eyes and looking up. I could just make out the form of Lord Sesshomaru weaving through the trees. A tired smile curled my lips. "Welcome back, my Lord." His golden eyes almost glowed in the dark as they found my form.

"We move at first light. We move towards rooster."

It took my tired mind and memory a moment to figure out what rooster meant, but eventually I nodded and settled my head against A-Un's saddled back. The dragon was making a surprisingly comfortable pillow. "We didn't unpack anything so we'll be ready to go," I informed him in a sleepy murmur. "Goodnight, Lord Sesshomaru."

* * *

The sky was beginning to turn an odd colour. Instinctively, I reached out to grasp Rin's shoulder to keep her close. "Master Jaken." He looked down at me from his position perched on a large rock. "Will we be safe?" The changing colour of the sky, and the strange feeling running through me that was making my hair stand on end was making me uneasy. Whatever was doing this wasn't human and that made me feel even more uncomfortable. I could deal with human things, but something told me that anything demonic would be far too much for me. I wanted to be assured by one of my non-human protectors that I would be safe.

Master Jaken hummed nervously and tilted his head towards the speading darkness in the sky. "Foolish human," he squawked with a bravado that made me more nervous than assured. Last night's quiet, serious tone was just a memory. "Do you think Lord Sesshomaru or I would allow something as pitiful as a whisper to harm you?"

Whisper? I didn't know what he meant by that and the not knowing just made me feel even more nervous.

I watched the dark cloud draw closer and eventually I could identify what it was. Moths. Thousands of moths all in a big group, flying directly towards us. I wasn't usually afraid of moths. They were just like butterflies of the night. Hardly something to be afraid of. But anything in big numbers was intimidating. In the massive group that those moths were in, I was almost quaking.

Lord Sesshomaru's clawed hand lashed out to tear apart a few moths that had dared to get too close to us.

Rin gripped onto the sleeve of my kosode and gave me a little tug as she began to walk backwards towards Lord Sesshomaru. Her slow steps quickened and, abandoning my sleeve, she turned to latch herself to the leg of Lord Sesshomaru's hakama. My eyes met the golden eyes of our Lord's for a moment before his dropped to Rin. "Mio, Rin, take cover," he ordered.

Rin took to the order immediately with a responded 'right' as she jogged towards Master Jaken's rock. I didn't believe a rock could provide adequate cover from so many moths, but I followed her anyway. Master Jaken and I shared a look as he dropped from the rock and waddled towards our Lord.

"Lord Sesshomaru, there's no need for you to waste your energy. Allow me to take care of them."

I curled my hand through Rin's hair as she huddled at my feet, covering her face with her arms. I was less worried than I had been a moment ago. I knew Master Jaken's power. Fire would draw the moths and destroy them. It was a perfect tactic to use.

Master Jaken shreiked a braggart's rant as he unleashed the staff's fire power unto the group of moths. The incredible fire that was unleashed from the staff decimated the moths. When the fire ceased, I relaxed against the rock. The swarm of insects was gone. All except one, it seemed, as it landed on Master Jaken's beak-like nose and he shreiked. "You've found yourself an admirer, Master Jaken," I teased, patting Rin's head gently as I moved around the rock.

I winced as Master Jaken, in his effort to make us all dizzy by running in circles, ran straight into Lord Sesshomaru's boot. It reminded me so much of bullies stretching their legs out to trip over their target. I half expected Lord Sesshomaru to snicker behind his hand like the bullies did. He didn't, of course, but the way he turned his focus to the horizon and ignored my little annoyed tut gave off the same air as any teenager I'd ever known. I knelt by Master Jaken and carefully peeled the squashed moth from his scaly green skin. "Thank you," I murmured to him, "for protecting us from the moths."

Lord Sesshomaru spoke just as Master Jaken opened his mouth to reply to me and I sent an irked glare over my shoulder. "So it seems Hyoga has been ressurrected." That boy. He'd purposefully said something to interrupt Master Jaken, but also draw my attention and curiosity. He knew from past experience that I was curious and wanted to know about the people that were talked about. He was really starting to strike me as a petulant boy under the mask of a noble man.

Annoyance overtook my curiosity as, when Lord Sesshomaru began to walk, he purposefully stepped right on top of Master Jaken. I glared at his back as I reached down to help Master Jaken up, just to be set back by Rin playing copy cat and walking right over Master Jaken like he was a rug.

I couldn't scold Lord Sesshomaru, but Rin was certainly under my influence. "Rin, don't step on people. It's rude and could hurt them." She looked back over her shoulder, shocked at the annoyed tone she hadn't heard me use before and even more shocked that the tone was directed at her. The guilt flooded her a second later and she looked down at the ground. "Apologise to him, Rin," I prompted. I would teach that girl proper manners. It wouldn't do to have her acting like Lord Sesshomaru.

She murmured under her breath, but with her name spoken in a warning murmur, she raised her head and spoke aloud her apology.

"Thank you, Rin. Now come on, let's all of us catch up to Lord Sesshomaru. It'll do us no good getting lost again."

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I would have thought we would move away from where the moths had come from, but Lord Sesshomaru was walking us in that direction without showing any signs of slowing down or veering off.

"Master Jaken." I may have pitched my voice just loud enough to be certain that Lord Sesshomaru could hear me without making my voice obnoxious, in a childish form of retribution. "Who's Hyoga?"

Lord Sesshomaru had purposefully interrupted Master Jaken and I with mention of this Hyoga character, so I was going to fight back and ask Master Jaken about him rather than Lord Sesshomaru. I expected Lord Sesshomaru to cut Master Jaken off in another childish jab (or as a repeat of the Naraku situation), but the imp spoke uninterrupted. "I wasn't with our Lord when he fought him, but I've been regailed with many stories. Hyoga was a moth demon from the continent."

"China?" Master Jaken gave me a strange look, clearly not understanding what I had said. I gestured for him to carry on and he did so.

"He was quite a fearsome demon. Lord Sesshomaru and his father alike fought against him and sealed him away before his power became too much trouble. Not it seems he'd been awakened."

"Isn't that dangerous? Will we be safe now he's awakened?" If Hyoga was once Lord Sesshomaru's enemy, wouldn't the fact that he'd been awakened be dangerous for us? Wouldn't he want to fight Lord Sesshomaru again in revenge for being sealed away for so long? Was that why we were being led west? Was Lord Sesshomaru going to fight against him?

"I have no interest in fighting old enemies." My eyes flickered to Lord Sesshomaru's back. He didn't look back at us as he spoke. "I will merely observe. InuYasha will show me his improvement."

There was that name from yesterday again. InuYasha. I wanted to ask about him, but felt it would just end in me being hushed as I had been about Naraku.

That seemed to end conversation for a long while as we were led into another forest. Lord Sesshomaru walked on at his usual pace while I slowed to try and limp through the forest without falling flat on my face. Both Rin and Master Jaken slowed down themselves to keep pace with me. This time following Lord Sesshomaru through the forest, we managed to keep up with him. If we slowed down too much, we still managed to find the white flash of his clothes or that odd fur around his shoulders to lead us to him.

"Do you hear speaking?" I murmured to Master Jaken as we tried looked around for a flash of white between the trees. We'd slowed down too much again and were looking out for our Lord. I could swear I heard two people conversing.

"-her powers?" That was Lord Sesshomaru. Just ahead I saw a glimpse of his fur dancing in the wind just beyond a tree. master Jaken held out his staff in front of us to get us to stop and we all leant forwards just slightly, straining to listen.

"I loathe all things," came the low airy voice of a woman. She sounded as if she was trapped in her own thoughts and only half invested in conversation. "I despise every living creature who is bound to time."

Who was that woman? Lord Sesshomaru was having a conversation with her so he had to know her, at least to some degree. I wondered how he could know so many people that didn't attack him on sight with the terribly rude and childish attitude he had.

"Do as you see fit," came our Lord's voice. "Though I warn you, I shall be the one to destroy InuYasha." There was his name again. That was the third time in two days. I was getting the feeling that this InuYasha person was important.

Lord Sesshomaru emerged from behind the trees and set off in a meandring stride. Master Jaken, Rin and I slid down a small dirt hill and followed after him; Rin and Master Jaken hurrying off in front so they could satisfy their curiosity about the woman. I tried to keep up with them as best as I could as Jaken spoke. "Lord Sesshomaru, are you certain it was a wise decision to let that woman go free?"

Golden eyes turned back and found Master Jaken. "Are you blind, Jaken? That woman is already dead."

I twisted my body to look back. Stood between a break in the trees was a woman wearing striking white and red with her back towards us. "Dead... like me?" I asked in a whisper. I had been bought back to life here by what could only be magical means. The evidence of that was riddled all over my body by means of dimples from wounds that shouldn't have been able to heal.

As Master Jaken and Rin bickered, Lord Sesshomaru answered me. "No, not like you." My gaze fixed back on the boy. He was looking back at me this time. I hadn't thought he would hear me. "Her ressurrection was a crude experiment performed by a sad witch playing in the mud. You were given a new lease of life by my father's fang. An infinitely more refined process. Her soul was blackened in the process. Yours was left untouched."

My first thought was not about what Lord Sesshomaru had said, but the fact that he had spoken at all. It was the most I'd heard him speak to me directly. He and Master Jaken conversed about their affairs and future plans quite often in murmurs to each other, but Lord Sesshomaru hardly addressed Rin and I. He'd become somewhat of a silent protector to us in my mind. He watched over us without speaking the majority of the time. Conversation with him was limited at best.

"I feel sorry for her, then," I decided after a moment. "To live like that must be exhausting and sad. I couldn't imagine hating everyone because of my experiences." I had been through a lot in my life that very well could have made me as jaded as that woman seemed to be. I couldn't do it, though. There was too much in life to love to ever hate it all.

I just received a dull hum from the boy as his pace sped up, leaving me to break up the little argument between Master Jaken and Rin.

* * *

Some hours later, A-Un returned to us from the sky. I decided that I would stretch my legs and walk for a while, but urged a sleepy Rin to climb up onto the dragon and try and nap for a while before we found a place to camp for the night. She didn't have to stay awake with us if she had the chance to sleep. She was only a little girl and she needed as much sleep as she could get.

We trudged on while the girl slept, walking along the top of a cliff. My mind was soon occupied with the beautiful stars that lit up the night. To stop ymself from veering off and falling off the cliff, I held loosely to A-Un's reins.

"I smell that foul creature Naraku on the wind."

Another fmailiar name. Those two names - InuYasha and Naraku - were coming up a lot in conversation. What was so important about those two that Master Jaken and Lord Sesshomaru kept bringing them up? What was it about them that made Lord Sesshomaru stop Jaken from telling me?

"By Naraku, you mean that scoundrel who's plotted so insolenty against you in the past, Lord Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru stopped and raised his head to the breeze. His nostrils flared as his golden gaze searched the skies. "It _is _his scent." The wind picked up and I wrapped my arms around myself as Master Jaken screeched.

"Ho," came the greeting of a familiar voice from the sky. In a graceful movement, the woman Lord Sesshomaru had attacked not so long ago dropped form the sky and landed in a crouch. A-Un reared back. I jumped back instantly, tripping over my feet and landing on my backside. I cringed and covered my face, waiting for the large dragon to trample me.

"Cute, your human pet is scared of a mount." More than a little embarrassed, I stayed silent as I stared up at the woman who stood so perfectly with her closed fan held to cover her mouth. I'd heard a lot of horror stories about horse riders being hurt by their horses rearing up unexpectedly. Was it that strange for me to be scared of something so much bigger than a horse rearing up right next to me? The red-eyed woman arched her brow and smirked down at me before her gaze turned on our Lord. "Have you come sniffing Naraku's scent, too?"

A hot little hand found my arm. Rin knelt beside me, making herself comfortable as she stared at the conversing demons.

"Kagura the wind witch, isn't it?" Lord Sesshomaru enquired, his hand perched atop his swor, ready to attack at any moment.

The woman gave a purr of pleasure and a coy tilt of her blood red lips. Everything she did exuded a a confident sex appeal that I was mesmerised by. I believed myself to be confident enough about my body; there was nothing I particularly disliked about it. But I'd ever felt confident enough to exude that sort of sexy confidence before. I was jealous of her. "I'm flattered. You remember me." Her voice dropped and her lips wrapped around her words like a lover's caress. How could one woman be so appealing? "Not take your hand off your sword. I didn't come here to battle you."

Kagura stood a little taller and stared Lord Sesshomaru dead in the eyes. "Sesshomaru, let's make a deal, you and I."

The prospect seemed to intrigue Lord Sesshomaru enough, as he dropped his hand from his sword and inclined his head, questioning the deal.

Her hand slid disappeared into her sleeve and emerged with two shards of a pink-tinted glass resting on her palm. "You know what these are, yes?" I winced as my foot began to sting, smoothing my hand over it to try and relieve the pain. "Shards of the Jewel of Four Souls."

"What?" I was on my feet immediately. I'd seen a lot of things here i recognised as history. The money, the clothing, the tools, even some of the speech. It was all stuff I recognised but wasn't familiar with. The mention of the jewel was the first thing I'd seen here that I recognised from my home. I remembered hearing the stories of the jewel straight from the mouth of the priest that cared for the shrine the jewel was connected to. I'd made a joke with Yuto about it.

My question was ignored. "I'll give them to you, asking you only to kill Naraku. Release me from him."

"Betraying your master, hm?" Lord Sesshomaru asked.

"Don't ignore me!" I looked between the two. "The Jewel of Four Souls... I-" I couldn't form a question. I didn't know what to ask. Where did you get it? Why is it shattered? Why did you have an object from an old shrine legend that dated five hundred years in my past? I doubted any of my questions would be answered.

"Mio." Lord Sesshomaru's voice was sharp and deep, a warning for me to shut my mouth.

In frustration at both Lord Sesshomaru shushing me like a petulant child and not knowing why afragment of a shrine legend from my home had just appeared before me, I turned my back and stalked off silently. I needed to take a walk to calm myself down a bit. Frustrated tears pricked at my vision as I walked and more than once I wiped an escaped tear from my cheek.

For weeks now I had been in this place and I had settled in it well enough, I thought. Finding myself in a place that had no technology and had demons walking around was difficult, but I hadn't freaked out. I had adjusted as best as I could to the situation. I'd gone on without technology and even found a friend in Master Jaken. I'd found a deep affection in a criminal. I was making a life.

But I was different. I was from a different time and place and that made me feel so alone. I'd never really felt alone before. For the past seven years I had always had Saburo at my side. He had been the greatest support I had ever had.

I had done so well to try and fit in here, but it wasn't enough.

The reminder of my home, of when I had gone back home the night that I had gone to the shrine and excitedly told Saburo of the legends, was too much. More than anything I wanted to be back home. Being scolded by a teenager for interrupting a conversation that had the potential of getting me back home if I had just been able to form the right question in my mind was too much.

Wind rushed by and my chance at getting home flew away on a feather.

* * *

**Information time!**

**Rooster - **The traditional compass had twelve points and each point was named after the twelve zodiac signs of Chinese astrology. Rat was north and clockwise each sign in order was a point. From a very poorly sketched out compass in one of my sketchbooks, I found that rooster was west. From their position, west would lead them towards Kaede's village, which fits with the location that Affections was in; close to Kaede's village.

**Whisper - **Whisper is the collective noun for moths. Just like you have a pack of wolves, you have a whisper of moths. I've seen a few other collective nouns for moths before, like collection and universe, but whisper is what shows up most frequently.

**China - **Jaken doesn't understand Mio saying China here because the Japanese have had two names for China in their history. Up until the second Sino-Japanese war (1937-1945) China, when not referred to as the continent as it so often is in InuYasha, went by the name Shina in Japan. During the second Sino-Japanese war, Shina became an offensive and derogatory term for China. It was replaced with the much more respectful Chugoku in Japanese language after the war. Jaken doesn't understand Mio because she used the term Chugoku rather than Shina.

**I think I'm going to fill your minds with really random knowledge until they burst. If any of you ever have to use any of these for a pub quiz, you guys have got to tell me! I'll get a real kick out of it. Maybe I should rename 'Information time' to 'Pub Quiz answers time'...**

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**Review corner!**

**TheOpheliac - **Patience, patience! They'll be back in time. All these compliments are making me blush! I don't think anyone's ever crammed so many wonderful things to say about me in one short review before! I'm so glad I'm managing to capture Sesshomaru to your liking. I always worry about changing characters too much when I try to write them. I've been terrible in the past for making characters OOC nd not realising it until its been too late. I think I'll give you the order to tell me if any of the canon characters become OOC at all. That'll be your job from now on: slap me on the wrist if characters start doing funky things. I live for talking to people that like my stuff. These review conversations make my day. Reading them last thing at night, or first thing in the morning always brings a smile to my face! Haha, I could be a mutant, you never know! I hope this chapter was all you hoped for it to be! See you next chapter!

**Setsuna1986 - **You have incredible timing. I was JUST about to post this chapter when I noticed your review. Ohhhh, right, no wonder I didn't get what you meant. It's my mom's boyfriend that screamed at me. Screaming man. He was a little drunk and let loose a lot of hot air that he'd had bottled up. Yeahhh, I like collecting manga. I started watching the Special A anime an age ago. I think at some point I need to try and get back into it. It was something I started then dropped for a reason I cant remember. Naruto ended (sob). I think the chapter-long epilogue with the next generation was a bit strange, but I did read the short afterwards and I thoroughly enjoyed that. I havent gotten round to watching the film yet, though. That might add a bit more to the experience. Wishlist on Amazon; someone buys something from the wishlist and it automatically disappears from the list. It's incredibly convenient for Christmas presenting. She did think he was human, a very odd human but human nonetheless. Now she knows he's a demon. She sussed it out after the meeting with Kagura. HAH! Mio is certainly not transfixed with Sesshomaru. She likes his voice. He has a sexy voice and hes pretty. But that's all he's got. Otherwise she's about ready to beat him over the head at the moment. Mio certainly can't stand alone in the emotion department. The end of this chapter showed that off perfectly. Mio needs people that she relates to. She can't survive without that and she's really struggling at the moment. The limping will be revealed in the future! It's somewhat important to the plot. Yes, she will eventually lose the limp. You'll have to find out about the tattoos. Mio'll have a very active and rather important role during the time, but she won't be a major part in the defeat of Naraku. Yes, she'll be interacting with InuYasha's group as time goes by. Actually, there'll be some interaction with the group in the next chapter. I liked all the questions!

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**Quite a lot happened in this chapter. Sesshomaru found out about InuYasha's demon side, a whole movie, Kagura attempted to make a deal with Sesshomaru, Mio being reminded of home and getting frustrated and home sick.**

**Some very necessary Jaken and Mio chatting in this chapter. Those two are going to form quite a close bond as the fic goes on. I personally don't like Jaken too much but he'll be a very important character so I have to suck it up and deal. Just like with Rin and Sesshomaru, her relationship with Jaken doesn't come easy! It's a big work in progress.**

**After watching Affections I've decided that Menomaru is one of my favourite villians. He's so sassy! He has a comment for everything. Shame he ends up a blood stain on the Tetsusaiga. It's also a shame that he didn't make a physical appearance in this fic. I would have loved for him to sass Sesshomaru. I can't have everything, though. At least the next film that'll be used in the fic will have a lot of Sesshomaru action in it.**

**Mio doubted Lord Sesshomaru! Mio trusts what she's familiar with. In the week since she'd been travelling with the group, Jaken has been the one to protect them mostly. She's seen the destructive fire power of the Staff of Two Heads and she trusts that power. She hasn't seen even a fraction of Lord Sesshomaru's power yet. She doesn't know what he's capable of, so her somewhat cynical mind won't fully trust his ability to care for them until she witnesses that power. The fact that shes getting annoyed with his childish ways is also driving a wedge between them. She's definitely a lot closer to Jaken than she is Sesshomaru at the moment.**

**Have you noticed my dislike for using canon scenes yet? I hate just copying down things word for word. Though I'll always stick to what's said or written, I find ways of cutting out bits and veering off onto my own tangent that breaks up canon scenes. I find a lot of paperclip OC stories that read almost exactly the same as each other because they write everything that happens in that scene in a perfect copy of it and hardly have their OC interact. I'm trying to do the exact opposite of that. There may be times where I do have to copy out scenes word for word, especially later on where the plot of the fic relies on certain things needing to be mentioned, but I will put all my effort into making Mio flow fluidly with the scene and not seem like she's been slotted in around the other characters because she's not supposed to be in the scene. If any of the canon scenes that appear seem unnatural to you, like I have just slotted Mio into them awkwardly, please tell me. I can only improve for next time if I know I'm making mistakes.**


	8. Scroll Seven

**I'm sorry I took this chapter down without warning just a few hours after I posted it, but I just wasn't happy with it. I didn't like what I had done and couldn't get on with writing the next chapter. When recalling the Panther Deva arc, I didn't remember Kagome being captured first. I don't know how I missed that, but I did and it threw a real wrench into the works for what I had vaguely planned out in my head.**

**So I had to rethink the entire arc and the best way to fit Mio into it.**

**Thank you everyone that read the last chapter!**

**Thank you **Amares **for adding this story to your alerts!**

**Off we go!**

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**Kagome Kagome**

Scroll Seven

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My eyes were sore when they peeled open.

I remembered storming away from Lord Sesshomaru last night. I remembered letting the emotion get the best of me and crying into the grass until I could barely breathe any more. I remembered curling up into a ball in the long grass and falling asleep, too exhausted to do anything else.

A quiet moan left my lips as I rubbed at my eyes. Falling asleep after crying always left me with uncomfortable itchy eyes in the morning.

"Lady Mio, you're awake!"

I raised my head and looked around in confusion. I was laying on A-Un's back. Rin was sat behind my body, one hand looped through my sash. I couldn't decide whether she was making a small effort to stop me from falling of A-Un if I slipped, or if she was keeping herself in place on the dragon's leather saddle. The landscape was foggy but I recognised it in some part. It was the rocky parts of the cliff we had travelled along last night. At least, I think it was. I didn't know how long I had been asleep. We could have travelled to another rocky terrain in the time I had been asleep. So, I asked. "Where are we?"

Master Jaken was the one to answer as he drew level with A-Un at the edge of the rocky outcrop the dragon was stood at. His voice was once again lacking the sharp squawking tone I was used to. "The place where a giant demon named Ryukotsusei was sealed into a dormant state." I rubbed at my eyes again and searched the fog for this giant demon that Master Jaken had mentioned. I couldn't see anything but mauled rock. "Strange, though," the imp continued, "that it was completely destroyed like this. Lord Sesshomaru, do you honestly think that this is Inuyasha's doing?"

InuYasha again. My curiosity was really eating at me now. I would have to ask Master Jaken who this InuYasha was. I looked back at the white-clad demon, who was staring at the cliff face with an intense look. When we were on the move again, I decided. Master Jaken had more chance to talk when we were travelling.

"It's anyone guess how he might have accomplished this." His golden gaze narrowed for a moment before he gave a short jerk of his head and turned swiftly. "A-Un." It was the first time I'd heard Lord Sesshomaru use the dragon's Rin-appointed name.

The dragon followed obediently. He'd obviously taken to the name well.

Behind us Jaken shreiked. "Don't leave me behind, Lord Sesshomaru!" There was the voice I was used to. The level, calm voice was making an appearance quite often now. It was odd hearing the imp serious. I think I preferred his screeching. His personality suited the screeching better.

"A-Un." I patted a neck gently. "Will you stop for a second? I want to walk from here." He stopped and I slid from his back, leaing against him as I gained my feet. I must have been sleeping a long time. My legs felt stiff. "Thank you." The two of us began walking side by side. A's head turned enough for him to catch a glimpse of me a few times and each time I smiled and patted his neck. My stomach rumbled loud enough to make Rin giggle. I flushed pink and rested my hand atop my stomach. "I think we should think about stopping for breakfast."

"Breakfast?!" Master Jaken huffed and waved his staff at me. "You slept through the day, you lazy woman! It's almost time to settle for an evening meal!"

I blanched. "You let me sleep all day?" I hadn't slept through the day since my university days, when it had unfortunately been a rather common occurence. More times than I could count, I had been out in Roppongi all night, or had been sat furiously trying to finish a procrastinated paper for the next morning and ended up sleeping the day (and sometimes the next night) through. I hadn't done that since I'd graduated and moved in with Saburo, though. There were much better things to be doing than sleeping when you had a home to look after.

"Not on my own standing, human!" He huffed loudly and turned his head away from me. "My Lord ordered us to leave you be until you awoke. Poor A-Un has had to carry you all day!"

He did? The proud Lord was walking ahead of us in his silent, prideful way. That boy was so hot and cold. Like a boy who didn't quite know social etiquette well enough to merge with society. Rude and grating one moment, then silently doing something nice the next. A real teenager that boy was. "Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru," I called out.

He said nothing.

A little sigh left my lips. Sometimes dealing with teenagers could be so tiring.

* * *

We set up camp next to a river that night.

Master Jaken, Rin and I sat comfortably around a small fire, chatting, bickering and joking as we ate.

* * *

I was jumpy the next morning. I barely made it through breakfast without alerting any of the group that there was something wrong.

As Rin and Jaken got down to catching fish for our lunch and Lord Sesshomaru picked a comfortable spot against a tree to sit and watch them, I slipped away for another walk. Just a short distance from camp there was a bend in the river. Travelling a little further down would give me some privacy. I could sit behind a rock and just think for a while. I'd be within shouting distance.

My hands shook as I dropped to my knees on the rocky river bank and looked down at my reflection. _Growling. Snarling. Scared. _I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to regulate my shaky breathing. _Fur. Teeth. Pain. Screaming. Scared._

"This is stupid, Mio." I splashed myself with cold water from the river, rubbing my cheeks and neck.

_Screaming. Growling. Teeth. Pain. Snarling. Fur. Scaredscaredscared._

I bought my hand down on the surface of the water with a loud crack then slumped back with a tired sigh.

"Your night terrors were worse last night."

I must have jumped a foot in the air at Lord Sesshomaru's voice. "Stress does that." It wasn't often I had nightmares before the wolf attack. I'd had them often as a child. A reoccuring alone-in-the-dark terror that left me a shaking, sobbing mass. I grew out of those as a teenager and as I moved into my adult years, I only had the occasional fright. Stressful times seemed to summon them from the depths of my mind. Graduating university had bought my stress levels up enough to have the alone-in-the-dark terrors return. Since the wolf attack, I had been having terrors nightly. They were scary, yes, but they rarely woke me. I remembered them in the morning and I was left feeling uneasy. I didn't think they were that bad until last night. I relived every excruciating moment of that attack.

It must have been bad for Lord Sesshomaru to pick up on it. Saburo had told me that I was peaceful in my sleep even if I was having a night terror. If I hadn't told him of those terrors when I woke then he wouldn't have known about them. The terror must have really affected me if I'd moved enough for Lord Sesshomaru to become aware of it.

"Can I help you, Lord Sesshomaru?" His looming was a little intimidating.

"Your fears are unneccesary." As was his blunt way with words.

"I know, Lord Sesshomaru. Master Jaken and yourself have done a wonderful job of protecting Rin and I." The demon's eyes narrowed slightly when I spoke Master Jaken's name before his own. Was that a bruised ego I spied? "Fears aren't always rational. The nightmares will settle eventually. I've just got to deal with them until they do."

Silence filled the air. Conversation between the Lord and I seemed short and choppy. His social distancing made for some very awkward silences that I didn't know how to fill. I must have opened my mouth to say something half a dozen times with no luck of actually forming a thought that would prompt any sort of conversation between us before eventually giving up and resigning myself to the awkward silence that passed between us.

"Get back." The sudden order jolted me from my thoughts. Not fast enough, it seemed, as Lord Sesshomaru prowled forwards, eyes on something in the distance as the side of his foot pressed to my chest and nudged me away from water. The act had no malicious intent, but being pushed around via foot pricked at the small amount of pride I had.

Ice began to form on the river's surface where I'd just had my hands, but I hardly paid it any mind. I pushed his foot aside and drew myself to my feet, squaring my shoulders to ready myself for a verbal battle. "You're terrible." He looked down at me out of the corner of his eye. "You can't just keep-"

"Quiet," he ordered lowly.

"Treating me like this," I carried on regardless of his order. I was a patient person, but Lord Sesshomaru and his childish behaviour had gotten to my last frayed nerve. "It's not just me. You treat Master Jaken in the same terrible way. You-"

His eyes narrowed in a glacial glare and my body reacted so strongly I jumped as all the hairs on my body stood up at once. "There is a demon approaching." His nostrils flared as he took in the scents around him and his lips tilted upwards. "Go retrieve Jaken."

I hesitated, debating whether I should do as I was told or finish the scolding that he'd interrupted with his dangerous glare. I decided on the safe option after a moment. "This conversation isn't over, Lord Sesshomaru. We can't carry on the way we are and we need to talk about it."

With my piece said for now, I spared the approaching mist-swathed figure on the freezing river then turned and headed back towards Rin and Master Jaken.

"If it isn't Toran." His tone held a sort of amusement that I'd never heard in his voice before as he addressed the mystery demon. I felt a small sting of ilogical betrayal. He'd just treated me so terribly and yet in the same breath, he could be pleasant with someone?

"Lady Mio, look!" Rin waved her arm above her head as I came into view. "I'm teaching Master Jaken how to fish. We've already caught so many. See!"

The bank had a handful of flailing fish on it, suffocating and trying desperately to reach water again. "That's incredible, Rin, but what have I told you about letting things suffer when you catch them?" I pulled my kaiken from my kosode sleeve and dropped to my knees in front of the closest fish. With the handle of the blade, I stunned a fish, then sliced into the gills. Then I reached for the net fish.

"Master Jaken, Lord Sesshomaru asked for you," I called out as I finished the last fish. "He's down the river a little ways."

Rin jumped up onto the bank and began collecting the fish together as I went to help Master Jaken from the river before he got swept away. He muttered a thanks as he adjusted his clothing then squawked right in my ear. "Rin! Where are you going?!" I jerked away from the loud noise and rubbed my ringing ear. When I could concentrate on something other than my hearing again, Master Jaken was gone, already running after Rin.

How could it be so nice travelling with them one moment, and so exhausting the next? This morning had been so difficult on my fried nerves and it was only getting worse the more the morning went on.

I kept a slow pace as I followed after the group.

What I heard when I rounded the rock the group was behind made me pick up my pace, limping past Rin as she waved at our Lord and Master Jaken's backs and reminded them not to forget us. "Lord Sesshomaru!" I called out, gritting my teeth against the throbbing of my foot as I pushed myself to try and keep up with them. "Lord Sesshomaru, don't ignore-" The two rounded a corner out of my sight. "-Me. You infuriating man!"

I kicked a stone but only succeeded in scraping skin off the side of my already aching foot. Why was the dominant foot always the one that got hurt?

* * *

"Are you happy with the way things are, Rin?" I asked that evening over our cooked fish. Lord Sesshomaru and Master Jaken weren't back. My anger had settled down somewhat, but it was festering in the back of my mind. I couldn't let this lie the way it was. I wouldn't let another man push me around and treat me terribly. I could learn from my mistakes.

The girl looked up from poking at the fire I'd managed to bring alive with nothing short of a miracle and some very sketch knowledge on wild survival. I was just glad that it hadn't been rainy recently. Finding dry sticks had been easy enough. The rest took a lot of struggling and a mild temper tantrum. Throwing the stick across the grass and watching it skid into the trunk of a tree was probably what had calmed me down so much.

"Uh-huh! We're warm and the fish is very good. This must bee one that Master Jaken caught."

I couldn't not melt at the childish innocence she exuded as she answered the literal question. "No, honey, not right now. With Lord Sesshomaru. Are you happy with the way he treats us?" Was it childish of me to try and stage a coup in Lord Sesshomaru's ranks? Trying to stage a coup with a little girl... What had life become?

"Lord Sesshomaru is so strong and incredible! He and Master Jaken are always there to protect us from the bad demons. I bet they'd even save us from humans, too. Humans are evil. Except you, Lady Mio!"

Coup forgotten, I felt my heart breaking for the bright-eyed little girl sat in front of me. "Humans aren't evil, Rin." What had happened to this poor girl to believe so wholly that humans were evil? There wasn't even a moment's hesitation when she spoke the words. She really, honestly believed that we were evil.

Rin set her jaw. "They are! Humans are cruel and evil. They just want people to hurt." Tears pricked at her eyes and my heart. Her voice dropped and she whispered the next words, collapsing in on herself like a great force crumbling under pressure. "They've always wanted me to hurt. My family was killed by humans and the villagers always hurt me."

Tears welled in my eyes and I abandoned my fish as I leaned over to hug her, pulling her into my lap. "Oh, Rin." I cried for her suffering, holding her in my lap. She cried, too, clinging to me for support. With the way she bawled, I didn't think she'd ever let herself let loose and cry like this. That made me sob even harder. The poor girl had been strong and suffering these black emotions behind that bright smile for years.

When I couldn't produce any more tears to fall, I pulled away from the girl's neck and sniffed. My nose was clogged with runny tear-snot. Both my face and Rin's hair was coated with the goop. I'm sure her face was equally as wet and snotty. I giggled. I couldn't help myself. "I think we need baths, snot monster. Come on, lets go clean up then see if we can salvage some of the fish we dropped." I'd barely eaten half of my fish when I'd tried to stage that coup and ended up bringing up terrible memories for the girl.

"Rin," I murmured as I was cleaning the gunk from her hair. "Not all humans are evil. Sometimes it may seem like they are, but everyone has some good in them. You can't live life condemning the many for the mistakes of the few."

* * *

"You've been sat there all morning practising your song, Rin. Won't you let me listen to it yet?"

The two of us had settled down that night curled in each other's arms and leant against A-Un. The both of us had woken with nightmares. We just hugged each other in silence until we fell back asleep. The morning had come with no sign of either demon. Worry settled in my gut as I prepared a breakfast of fish for us and began cleaning off my kaiken to give me something to do.

That had kept me busy only for a short period of time. Then I was left to mill around while Rin kept herself busy making a song. A song that she wouldn't let me listen to until it was done.

"It's all done, Lady Mio!" The girl grinned and hoisted herself up onto a rock besides A-Un and I. She began humming the tune.

_In the mountains, in the breeze  
In the forest, in my dreams  
Lord Sesshomaru, where are you?  
Jaken and Mio are serving under you too_

I opened my mouth to congratulate her on a surprisingly catchy little tune she had created, when a voice called over to us. "Rin, Mio."

Rin's head snapped around and a bright smile bloomed on her face as she jumped from the rock and ran towards him. I felt myself relax slightly as I laid eyes on Lord Sesshomaru and Master Jaken stood on a grassy knoll not too far away. I had been worried that something had happened to the two of them.

"Let's be off," the demon boy ordered as he turned.

"Oh, hurry up," Master Jaken snapped as he followed after our Lord.

A-Un nudged my side as I used a hefty shoulder to push myself up. I giggled and nudged him back.

How odd it was that even after I had been so angry at him the last time I had seen him, seeing that demon waiting for Rin and I atop a grassy hill made me feel peaceful and protected.

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**Information time!**

**Where are we? - **Mio stole Rin's line. I did warn you that occasionally I would be changing small bits of dialogue in canon scenes and that I'd tell you when I did that and give reasoning for it. Rin's line is: where are we now? Mio's shortened version of that 'where are we' replaces Rin's dialogue here.

**A-Un - **SO I WAS RANDOMLY SEARCHING FOR STUFF AND I FOUND OUT WHAT A-UN MEANS! The caps locks was necessary because I was completely shocked that A-un means something. The term is used in Japanese religious architecture where there are a pair of statues. The symbolism of two things together is used in Japanese expressions to signify two things in harmony, too. Now, usually after finding out something like this, I would go back and change chapters to fit the new knowledge. However, I don't think I need to. I didn't put any reasonings into why Rin chose the name A-Un for the dragon in the last chapter. I think the idea of Rin picking A-Un because it means harmony of two living things, a simple but very deep name, is completely viable, so Rin choosing their name stands. You'll just all know that this is why Rin chose the name now.

**Roppongi - **A district of Tokyo famous for its night-life scene. Exactly the sort of place a university student would go for a night out boozing.

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**Review corner!**

**The Opheliac - **The chapter hadn't been up an hour and you'd already read and reviewed! Do you just sit at your computer refreshing your emails until you see an update for _Kagome Kagome_? I've left quite a few clues about the origin of her limp in the story. You have to tell me your theory. I'll neither confirm or deny it, but I'd certainly like to hear what it is. Hearing that people have theories about my work is incredible. I've always been of the opinion that work isn't truly popular until it has either fanart or fan theories. It seems mine has fan theories already, so I spose it's getting popular, huh? Compliments really do go a long way. I'm thankful for every kind word! Oh, I wouldn't want to put you out so much as to force you to watch Sesshomaru scenes for me /maybe a slight bit of sarcasm used here. I'm glad you think so. I'm trying really really hard with the Jaken scenes. I really _do not _like Jaken so its a little bit of a struggle to have him play such an important character in the fic and keep him properly in character. You'll have to keep an eye on that, too. Jaken is likely the character that'll fall into OOC-ness the quickest of any character I write. Wandering off gets her a time out on a dragon. Nothing too exciting. She just needed some time away from people to work through her thoughts, have a cry and pull herself together. I've found that putting a great deal of emphasis and interaction on when someone cries is quite unrealistic. In reality, especially in my experience, crying either gets ignored all together or barely touched in conversation. People avoid talking about it a lot. I tried to use that here. No one wants to bring up the crying so it gets brushed over and festers in Mio.

**Setsuna1986 - **I have to say, Setsuna, your long reviews always bring a smile to my face! I'll definitely give Special A another go when I have some time. Yeahh, that's why I did the wishlist in the first place. I kept getting really strange presents and had a constant case of present face. So I just sorta went: 'hey, heres a list of things I want, just in case you were struggling' and Im hoping for the best. Like any mature person, Lord Sesshomaru ignored her and sulked like a child for a while. Then he was somewhat nice and didn't leave without her. Mio really is trying hard. She'll find her place eventually. I'm glad you're liking it! I felt that Mio needed another adult to talk to and (as much as I hate Jaken myself) he stands to be the best person for her to talk to and bond with. Ah, you got why I added that scene in! Excellent. A lot of people portray Rin as a perfetly polite kid, but if you really look at the series, there are a lot of times where she's not polite; particularly in the anime. Children are very monkey see monkey do and I tried to portray that behaviour in Rin. She admires Sesshomaru and would naturally follow in his steps (this time literally). Mio wont stand for Rin learning Sesshomaru's bad habits. I find the power of jewel shards to be so inconsistent. Kagome and Kikyo are supposed to be the only ones that can sense them. Yet a few times in both the anime and manga they've been attacked by random demons that have somehow been able to sense the shards power, like only Kikyo and Kagome are supposed to. Throughout the majority of the series, people have figured out that people have jewel shards through shows of unnatural power, not sensing the jewels. This is shown in a lot of places. If Kagome hadn't been around, the team wouldn't have known that certain characters even possessed jewel shards: Sesshomaru attacking InuYasha for Naraku, Koga's first appearance, Bankotsu's fight with Inuyasha in Mount Hakurei, just to name a few. All these scenes are scenes where the jewel shards had been completely overlooked until either Kagome pointed out that the character had the shards, or InuYasha figured out that Bankotsu had extra strength due to shards that he didn't know about. People other than Kikyo and Kagome cannot sense jewel shards power and that is the logic I'm using for this fic. Sorry about that super long rant. It's one big inconsistency in InuYasha that I dont like. It's really your favourite chapter? Wow! The last chapter was actually my least favourite chapter to write. I felt it was so bitty and off compared to my usual chapters. Looking forward to future reviews!

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**A very interesting dominatrix once said: "Do you know the big problem with a disguise, Mr. Holmes? However hard you try, it's always a self-portrait." I'm sharing this because whenever I create OCs, they always seem to find at least one thing in common with me. Mio's trait is her ability to go on like normal after she cries. The reason that she doesn't bring up her crying, or do anything about it at all for that matter is a trait that she shares with me: its a form of bottling. Pretend it never happened and it can't bother you.**

**I'm quite a fan of Toran. I love strong don't-fuck-with-me women and Toran is the perfect example of that. Her and Kagura are actualy two of my favourite anime women ever. I was sad that in the rewrite of this chapter, I didn't have any real Toran presence. She had a big part in the initial chapter, but I just couldn't carry on the way it was going. So no atual Toran.**

**I changed out Toran development with Rin development. I never planned for Mio to find out about Rin's past. I'd never even really considered Rin hating humans, but the more of Sesshomaru-pack-centric episodes I watched, and seeing her in the third film, it just hit me. Rin will do anything for Jaken and Sesshomaru, but she gets nervous when she's caught out by humans. She avoids them and acts nervous when shes cornered. My belief is that because of her history of trauma and abuse, she sees humans and things out to get her, to hurt her both emotionally and physically. So far in her life, its been humans that have hurt her and demons that have protected her. It took a lot to get to the point where Mio, an evil human, was trusted. It took Mio showing that she was a selfless bleeding-heart and _dying _for her to get Rin to show any solid trust in her.**

**This is the shortest chapter so far, but it went from being an important plotpoint, to a transition chapter for another important plot point. Next chapter will have a lot of important stuff going on!**

**This is the last of the almost-daily updates now. I've gotten to where I was before I rewrote. From now on, I'll release a chapter every Saturday.**

**See you all in a week!**


	9. Scroll Eight

**You know what? Screw it. You guys can have this chapter now. The next chapter can be the start of our schedule.**

**Thank you everyone that read the last chapter!**

**I'm going to shamelessly promote my new Bankotsu/OC fic _Perfidious _here for anyone that's interested in reading it. Of all the wonderful people that read my fic, at least one of you has to be a Bankotsu fan.**

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**Kagome Kagome**

Scroll Eight

* * *

The evening was lovely. It had fallen dark early, as it always did when October weather set in, but the stars were all so beautiful.

"Mio," Master Jaken snapped from up in front of me. "For goodness sake, what keeps causing you to lag behind? Even lame you're not usually this slow!"

Apparently the stars weren't so beautiful to the rest of the group, who had paused to wait for me to catch up to them. "I'm sorry, Master Jaken. It's just... the stars are so beautiful tonight."

"What are you talking about? They're the same as ever!"

Rin skipped towards me, tilting her head up so she could get a look at the beautiful sight. "Lady Mio comes from a place where there aren't any stars," the little girl explained. She hummed the song she'd made up this morning as her hand slid through mine. When I'd suggested that she should sing the song to Lord Sesshomaru, as he was the intended recipient of the song, she'd gone shy, refusing to sing the words, though she had happily taken to humming the tune over and over again throughout the day.

I was impressed that Rin had remembered that fact about my home. It must have been a long while since I had mentioned it, and only in passing.

"A place without stars?! How preopsterous! What sort of place doesn't have stars?" Master Jaken dismissed with a huff.

I couldn't even fathom trying to explain the minute details of city pollution and how that covered the stars to the imp, so I merely stated "a place a very long way away" and left it at that. I couldn't begin to explain my home to them. It was so incredibly different to this place that I doubted they'd even believe that sort of place could exist. Maybe it didn't here. I still didn't know what had bought me here or where here even was. It could be an alternate demention for all I knew. I was clueless. "It's wonderful to be able to look at the stars here."

I supposed it wouldn't be so wonderful to them. They'd grown up in this place, with these beautiful stars, all their lives. This was their normal. Normal things were often taken for granted. Like back home I had taken electricity and a roof above my head for granted. I was never thankful for either because I just knew they would be there. If I ever got a home, with real working electricity again, I would never stop being thankful for them. These weeks without them had shown me how much of an incredible privilege it was to he them.

"You're right, Lady Mio. I've never noticed before, but the stars are-" She stopped short as her stomach roared and pressed her hand to her flat belly.

"Rin."

The girl looked up at our Lord immediately. "Yes? What is it, my Lord?"

"If you are hungry, you must fend for yourself."

That was another thing I'd always taken for granted. Food. There were no convenience stores you could just pop into for a premade bento meal if you were feeling hungry. Here you had to forage for yourself. Cook everything from scratch. What I wouldn't give for one of Saburo's katsudon or a nice sugary chocolate-chip melonpan. I'd been living on a constant diet of root vegetables that Rin had been able to forage and fish that Rin and Jaken (with his newly learned skills) had been able to catch.

I'd give just about anything for some good meat, like pork or lamb. I was close to trading away my soul for some junk food. To taste meltykiss on my tongue again would be bliss.

"All right," the girl chriped. "I'm off!"

I followed after the girl without thought. I didn't want her wandering around looking for food alone in the dark.

"Jaken, acompany her." Master Jaken gave a squawk, but plodded to my side with a quiet huff. "Mio, not you. We have a conversation to finish."

I paused in my stride and twisted around to look back at the boy. "All right," I muttered, moving, instead of towards Rin, to stand by Lord Sesshomaru's side. I watched master Jaken and Rin disappear into the trees before turning to Lord Sesshomaru. "I'm surprised you came to me to finish the conversation," I admitted. I had expected him to want to avoid the conversation at all costs and wait for me to eventually come to him.

I'd spent the day while we'd been travelling trying to plan our conversation and how I could actually start the conversation. I never believed that he would come to me.

"I won't evade a conversation I know is coming."

"Most people would." I was guilty of that myself. It was human nature to avoid an uncoming topic that you knew wasn't going to be comfortable. It's why I had been planning all day instead of trying to actually get him alone to have this conversation.

"Not I."

A flash of light drew my attention to the sky. I smiled as I followed the bright path of a star. "Look, a shooting star. Make a wish."

"A wish?" His voice rumbled.

"It's something I learned when I went to Europe once. They believe that if you make a wish on a shooting star then it'll come true. Silly, isn't it?" I tilted my head to glance up at Lord Sesshomaru. He was staring up at the star. "But sometimes silly is nice."

"I have no reason for such frivolous things as making wishes."

He didn't, but I did. I closed my eyes and took some time coming up with the wish.

_I wish I could find home._

When I opened my eyes again, the shooting star was gone, faded into space again. I gave a little sigh as I searched the sky for the courage to start the conversation. The shooting star had been a much appreciated distraction, but with it gone, I had to start it somehow. This wasn't the sort of thing that I could put off.

"How do you do it?" I asked on a sigh, finding a cluster of stars close together and focussing my eyes on that to stop myself from looking at the proud, tall boy before me. If I looked at him, I might lose my nerve. "The way you treat us at times... Master Jaken, me, and even Rin at times can be so terrible, and yet every time I see you return to us, I feel something happy bloom in my chest. Like I'm glad you remembered us. I don't understand it. How can you do it?"

I didn't expect an answer and I didn't receive one.

"You ignore us, you physically abuse Master Jaken and you make me feel so..." I hissed a breath. Maybe it was better to broach Rin and Master Jaken's issues first. I would feel better if he treated the two of them better. "Master Jaken is loyal to you. I've never seen a creature more loyal to anyone than he is to you. Yet you abuse his loyalty. You speak over him, you undermine and insult him, you order him around and never thank him. You knock him around." That was the most disgusting thing about the way he treated Master Jaken. "There's only so much you can kick a dog before it gets wise, Lord Sesshomaru."

The man beside me gave a heavy, angry huff and once again I was reminded of Saburo's Chin and his sulking ways.

"He is so incredibly loyal to you and yet you kick him and literally walk all over him. Some day he'll see that the way you treat him isn't worth the perks of your protection. It won't be tomorrow. It might not even be a decade from now, but it'll come eventually. I don't believe anyone should be alone, my Lord, but some people drive others away."

I finally turned my eyes to him. He was staring at me silently with that intense golden glare. The words on my tongue faded and I fought to grasp for anything that I'd spent all day trying to plot. How could he make me so nervous I forgot what I was going to say with just one look?

My shoulders squared and I stared up at him with my chin raised. I could do this. "Your few moments of kindness are enough to keep us around for now, but they won't be enough in the long run. You need to be nicer if you don't want to lose people." I reached forwards to grasp his arm, to connect with him on a physical level, but I just grasped sleeve. A sharp gasp whistled through my teeth. "Your arm..." Or lack thereof. He didn't have an arm. "When...?"

I couldn't believe I had missed that he only had one arm. That wasn't something an observant person just skipped over. Years of catching out teenagers trying to play games and chat to each other in classes had made me observant. I was floored by the fact that this was the first time I had noticed this.

His hand curled around my wrist and pulled it from his sleeve. The silk slipped through my fingers.

"Sesshomaru, you've-"

"You spoke of me mistreating Rin. Elaborate." His fingers uncurled from my wrist slowly and it dropped heavily back to my side.

I couldn't figure out the emotions running through his bright golden eyes. I could tell that he was avoiding this. Using our coversation to draw attention away from talking about his arm. I let it happen. Lord Sesshomaru was a secretive person. I didn't want to dig up all of his secrets.

"That girl..." I decided that frank was the best way to be. "That girl has had a shit life full of trauma and abuse that she just doesn't deserve. She's a wonderful, wonderful girl and I think you've made her the happiest she's been since her family was killed. She looks up to you, Lord Sesshomaru. Yet you ignore her, speak over her when she comes to you for attention. She's just a kid. She needs someone to give her positive attention. To tell her well done, to pick her up when she falls. You need to step up and be a parental figure to her or find someone that will."

His eyes narrowed dangerously and I took a half step back. "You treat the pup like your child. Is that not enough?"

"Me?" Did he think that I would be enough for that girl, when she craved Lord Sesshomaru's attention? "I won't be here forever, Lord Sesshomaru. Sooner or later I'm going to leave. I have people I need to find. Rin won't... She won't want to come with me. Rin will want to stay here with you so you need to treat her better. I'll never be able to sleep a full night knwing I left her with someone who doesn't treat her right. If not to give me peace of mind, then do it for her. Keeping her around means you have to care for her in some part. Please, step up and treat her like she deserves."

"People to find?"

Was that really what he had gotten from that? I'd laid myself bare asking him to treat that girl right and he'd focussed on the one bit of knowledge I'd imparted about myself? Unbelieveable boy.

"When I met Rin, I was travelling with a band of men and women. They were sort of my family." Aguri certainly felt like a mother at times. Gen and Yone were like siblings. And Tahei... I could still see myself with that man, living a long and happy life together. "When Rin's village was attacked, I left them behind to keep Rin safe. I promised them that I would find them again. I've..." Why hadn't I gone to look for them sooner? At first it was because I was injured. But now the dimpled flesh all over my body wasn't so tender any more. There was nothing stopping me. There hadn't been anything stopping me in days.

I took a couple steps backwards. "I think this conversation is over. Please think over what I said, Lord Sesshomaru. Please treat them better. I don't like seeing anyone suffer and the three of you will all suffer if we all carry on like this."

I only moved to the other side of A-Un, but the distance between us was enough to give us both our privacy as we both digested the mostly one-sided conversation.

* * *

The next morning I awoke to something being dropped in front of my face. I jumped as I opened my eyes to the face of a dead rabbit. The explative I grunted as I pushed myself away from it made e blush in shame. I wasn't usually one for swearing, but I really hadn't been expecting a dead rabbit in front of my face.

"Eat."

I looked up at Lord Sesshomaru's back for a moment before dropping my gaze to the rabbit. Then I looked around. "Rin and Master Jaken aren't back yet?" I fretted. I stayed up late last night waiting for them, but succumbed to sleep eventually, hoping they'd be back in the morning.

They weren't here, though.

"Rin is safe. Jaken is caring for her."

"Y-yeah." That was true. Master Jaken would look after her. The imp was strong. He could look after Rin just fine. She was safe. Rin was safe, I assured myself as I reached for the rabbit. I would distract myself with cooking. It was a proven tactic by now.

As I bit into my breakfast, I gave a longing sigh. "What I wouldn't give for a cooking pot and some good ingredients, a-Un." The dragon's heads lifted and both sniffed at me. "I'd love to make a stew or something. I think Rin would like that. It's got to be better than killing things over a fire all the time."

A-Un wasn't listening to me, but I smiled at them anyway.

"We move on after you've eaten," Lord Sesshomaru informed.

"But what about Rin and Master Jaken?" If we moved on, they wouldn't know where we were. How would we find them again if we moved on and they came back here?

The demon boy just leveled me with a silent stare.

I huffed and finished off my rabbit in silence.

* * *

Travelling alone with Lord Sesshomaru was a strange experience. The beginning of our journey was silently. Awkwardly so. Lord Sesshomaru led, while I followed behind, holding A-Un's reins loosely.

The silence ran through midday and well into the afternoon.

I was itching to start coversation as the day started drawing to a close. I wasn't a quiet person by nature. I liked chatter. Talking to Rin and Master Jaken was what kept me going. Even back home there was always some coversation going on. At school I talked to the children and Yuto. At home there was always something to talk to Saburo about; my day, his day, where we'd go to for our next double date with Yuto and Maria.

Somehow none of those seemed like things I could talk to Lord Sesshomaru about.

"It's been all day. Do you think Rin and Master Jaken are still all right, Lord Sesshomaru?"

"They are fine."

End of conversation.

I sighed softly. That hadn't lasted long. A nuzzled against my cheek. "Your master isn't very talkative," I told the dragon with a little smile and a gentle pat on his head. Un didn't appreciate the lack of attention and fought his brother to get me to stroke him. "Now, you two, behave. You're supposed to live harmoniously."

A possible conversation starter hit me smack in the forehead. "I never did thank you for that rabbit this morning, did I?" I had been preoccupied with the lack of Rin and Master Jaken's presence. "Thank you. But, why? You told Rin she had to fend for herself. So why bring food to me?"

His eyes found me over his shoulder. "In the time that I have known you, you've not once foraged for your own. That job falls to Rin. You don't know how." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. He was confident that I didn't. Not wrongly, I admit, though I was shocked that he paid enough attention to us to know that Rin was in charge of finding food and I was in charge of cooking it. "You will learn, but I cannot leave you to starving until you do."

I beamed at the boy. "Thank you. I'll go with Rin next time she goes foraging and try to learn as much as I can." It was a smart idea to learn. If I was to go out on my own, then I would need to know how to find my own food.

I tried not to focus on the fact that I had given myself another reason stay with this group.

* * *

"The stars are even more beautiful that last night."

We'd found another beautiful location where we could look up at the cloudless sky. "I was never good with constellations," I commented as the two of us stood side-by-side, looking up at the stars. "My boyfriend used to laugh at me for that. I was always interested in history and so much of history is based off the stars. But how could I know much about the stars if I couldn't see them? The only time I ever got the chance was when we went out to the country. That didn't happen too often, though. We were always so busy."

"You're sad, yet you smile."

"Hmm?" My grey eyes flickered to him before returning to the sky. "Yes, it makes me sad, I suppose. I miss it. But sometimes you need a little sadness. Without sadness, you'll never truly know joy, either. I'm sad that it's gone, but happy that it happened." The smile curling my lips upwards widened. "Where I'm from, a famous man said something that I've always thought important. _Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened,_" I recited in patchy English. I didn't know much English, but this was something Maria had taught me when my father had died. I'd committed it to memory.

Lord Sesshomaru gave a low rumble.

It took me a moment to realise that he would have no idea about the English language. "Ah, it means: don't cry because something's gone, smile because it happened. So, even if I'm sad about something being over, I'll smile because I'm happy that it did. I knew joy for a while and that's enough."

"You're an optimistic person." The way he said it sounded like he was insulting me.

I laughed. "You're not the first to think I'm stupid because I'm optimisic." Sesshomaru's demeanour changed; eyes narrowing and spine straightening just slightly so he stood taller. "What's wrong?"

"L-Lord Sesshomaru!" came a familiar squawk. I gave a relieved sigh. Rin and Master Jaken were back. "Rin, she's been kidnapped!"

I span around so fast, I felt myself go dizzy. I blinked the dizziness away quickly in the face of the horrifying information that had been screeched at us. "What?!"

"That woman called Kagura," Master Jaken explained nervously as he approached us at a panicked jog. "That offspring of Naraku - suddenly appeared, and..." He trailed off, eyeing the boy stood next to me warily. I could feel the murderous aura Lord Sesshomaru exuded.

"Be at peace, Lord Sesshomaru." I turned slower this time. Knelt in the grass a few metres away was a man swathed in a white babboon pelt. Surrounding him were the biggest wasps I had ever seen. I stepped closer to Lord Sesshomaru. I was quickly learning that people that just appeared was bad news. "So long as you need my request, I shall return the girl Rin to you unharmed."

He was the one that had taken Rin? I looked up at Lord Sesshomaru, hoping that he'd provide some comfort, even if it was only a cool and confident expression. His eyes were narrowed and there was a hard set to his jaw. Lord Sesshomaru was angry.

"N-Naraku!" Jaken stuttered.

This was Naraku? I appraised the pelt-wearing man again. I'd expected more than a man wearing a monkey skin. The way Lord Sesshomaru got so angry that he stopped Master Jaken from talking about him suggested that the man was truly despicable. Yes, he'd stole Rin, but I expcted something looking more dangerous than a person wearing an animal skin.

"Naraku, eh? What are you scheming _this _time?"

"Nothing special, really," came the too casual response to my Lord's question. "All I ask is that you kill InuYasha."

InuYasha again. Another of Lord Sesshomaru's enemies. It seemed the term 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' didn't apply here. The two had a common enemy. How many people were at odds here? There were already three forces entwined together and clashing with each other.

"Ho!" Lord Sesshomaru exclaimed. I couldn't decide whether he was amused or annoyed."For something so petty, you play such tiresome games."

I felt a breeze at my side and then Lord Sesshomaru was tearing into Naraku's body with his bare hands. Annoyed, then.

The body crumbled and from the pelt spilled dirt and a wooden puppet. Curious, I moved forwards. What an odd little puppet. I leaned down to pick it up, looking over it. It was quite crudely made. There were no smooth edges. It looked like it had been whittled in a hurry.

"Mio!" Jaken barked sharply, whacking me upside the head with his staff. "Drop that thing! You don't know what evil it possesses."

"But-" This was so strange. It was crudely made, but something about it made it beautiful. I sighed and dropped it on the pile of dirt. "So that was Naraku." I was wrong to underestimate the look of him. This was magic; using the puppet to animate dirt. I'd never thought magic was real, but here it was, right in front of me, being used by an enemy to my _demon_ master.

I really needed my abandon my thoughts on what was real and what wasn't. Nothing here was like what I knew.

"Does he really believe I, Sesshomaru, would do his bidding for the sake of a mere mortal girl?"

I cut a sharp glare to the demon. That better not mean what I thought it meant. Not after I had talked to him last night about the way that he had been treating us. He wouldn't abandon Rin when she had been taken by his enemy. He wouldn't. Would he...?

No.

I had to believe that he wouldn't.

He was kind to us at times. I had to believe that the kindness would extend to saving her from an enemy.

When Lord Sesshomaru began to move, I followed after him, hoping that he would lead us to Rin.

* * *

Less than an hour later, Lord Sesshomaru came to a stop in the middle of a meadow.

"My Lord, whatever do you think you're doing?" Master Jaken asked, stopping slightly short of our Lord and looking around. I did, too, trying to find something that would tell me why Lord Sesshomaru had stopped here. I couldn't see anything.

"Naraku's castle... It's here."

What? I couldn't see anything. Certainly no castle. Master Jaken spoke my thoughts aloud as if he was hearing them.

The air before us shifted, a breeze picking up and the wind concentrating in one spot in front of us, twisting around like it was forming a tiny hurricane. Then the wind settled, the hurrican dissipating. From the spot that the hurricane had started, an image began to reveal itself. A castle.

My mouth hung open.

"Mio, do not more from this spot. You will not survive the castle. I will return soon."

With a glance in my direction, Lord Sesshomaru and Master Jaken moved forwards, leaving me behind to wait.

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**Information time!**

**If you are hungry, you must fend for yourself - **This is the quote he uses from the anime in the beginning of episode 079 - the filler episode in which Jaken attempts to steal Tetsusaiga from InuYasha. In the manga, he uses the phrase 'go out and get your own food.' I decided to use the anime quote here for two reasons. One: there will be mention of the events of episode 079 in this chapter. More specifically, it'll be following the timeline of of the anime. Meaning there will be an entire day between Sesshomaru sending Rin and Jaken off, and Jaken crawling back to Sesshomaru to tell him Kagura had off with Rin. Two: The anime line sounds more dignified. I picture Lord Seesshomaru being quite old fashioned and dignified with his words. 'you must fend for yourself' sounds better and more Sesshomaru-like in my mind than 'go out and get your own food.'

**Bento - **A pre-made or home-cooked take-out meal. The word bento comes from the slang term of a Chinese dialect and means 'convenient.'

**Katsudon - **A bowl of rice topped with deep-fried pork cutlet, egg and condiments.

**Melonpan - **A bread bun with a cookie crust made to look like rockmelon. It doesn't actually taste like melon. Most the time it doesn't have any additional flavours. Its just bread and cookie dough. Delicious bread and cookie dough, at that. Melonpan is one of my favourte snacks. I bake a mean melonpan myself.

**Make a wish - **The idea of making a wish on a shooting star comes from Greece in the second century. I didn't do much research on it, but I think the idea of making a wish on a falling star is a Western thing.

**Don't cry because something's gone. Smile because it happened - **A quote from the very amazing Dr. Seuss. I'm a big Dr. Seuss fan so I had to shove something of his works in here. I think this phrase really hits home for Mio's personality. She's a person that can smile in the face of sadness because she's strong enough to remember the happiness. Most the time, that is. She isn't a perfect being that can be happy all the time.

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**Review corner!**

**The Opheliac - **This last week must have been odd for you without almost daily updates then, huh? If you have any decent Sesshomaru/OC fanfics that update regularly that you wanna suggest, I'm all ears. I feel like I'm exhausting the fanfics on this website at times. I read faster than people can write. There you go again with the compliments. Good theory. Onwards. Godss don't talk about fifty shades. My mother made me read the first book of that series a couple years ago and fuckme was it bad. She made me watch the film, too. Also terrible. If I can eventually publish any original work, I'd love to have even a fraction of the boom that Fifty shades got, though. I think that's the only thing I could ever want in relation to fifty shades. Yes, me too. While I've been writing and plotting, I've had InuYasha on in the background, 'cause I work better when I'm listening to noise. Hearing Sesshomaru isnt something I could ever complain about. I'm hoping i can keep to Tsundere Jaken instead of just making him annoying. I think I may disagree with you there. I don't think Sesshomaru fits with a dere type. He's not hiding an affectionate or shy side; he's learning to have one in the first place. He's developing these emotions at a very stunted rate, not showing emotions that hes hiding. Mio notices the cute moments of kindness, but she's spent years watching young people develop in a somewhat similar way that Sesshomaru is. She loves that he's developing, but she isn't scared to point out that he needs to try a little harder. Well, she is scared, but she knows she has to point it out. Brave, my girl can be... sometimes. In my fanfics where humans are transported years in the past and fall in love with demons, realistic portrayal is very important to me. Sesshomru isn't a scaredy cat, so the festering doesn't get too far this time around.

**Setsuna1986 - **Don't sell your own importance short! Without my conversations with you and TheOpheliac, I dont think I would have been able to write so much already. Honestly, there have been times where I've written as fast as I could just so I could carry on talking to you guys in review corner, Sometimes I'm more interested in this section than the actual fanfic writing! Gods, no kidding. I've suffered the 'yeah...thank you for...that..._thing_' muttering so often. Certainly! He's very mature. Very! Honest. Oh my, not only have I struggled to write Master Jaken ebcause I dont like him, I've written him in a way that makes other Jaken-dislikers to like him? I think that's the best compliment I've had so far! Very insane. There's only so much silence one can take before they go loopy. Mio can take even less silence than the average person. She lives for talk. Yeahh, inconsistencies. I think its the one thing I can really complain about and criticise about InuYasha. That one part of the story is so inconsistent that it makes me cringe. I like that OCs take on a parental role with Rin. I like seeing it, but you're totally right. A lot of writers make parental relationships rainbows and unicorns. Being a parent is a dirty and terrible job at times and not many people portray the darker side of parenting like they should. Another of my little quirks with writing realistically, I suppose. I like writing things how they really are rather than romanticising things. I'm gonna blame being British here. Gritty is in my blood. Animal interaction is sometimes one of the most telling things in fanfic, yet its not used very often as a device, I've seen. I always look to see how animals react to the characters. Mio's a smart women, and she worked with teenagers and has lived for seven years in an occasionally abusive relationship. Being able to know when things should be said at the right time is something she learned quickly. I'm glad I can give you new perspectives! To be able to make people think about what I write is one of my biggest aims as a writer. If I can make someone think about something they haven't thought about before, then I've done a good job. Looking forward to the next review!

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**Mio finally tells Sesshomaru what's what. This is an important scene in advancing Mio and Sesshomaru's eventual relationship. It's slow burning at the moment, but that conversation did a lot in bringing Mio and Sesshomaru closer. It was their first proper conversation! And Mio finally finds out that Sesshomaru only has one arm.**

**This chapter marks the first time Mio has referred to Lord Sesshomaru without any honourifics.**

**I was going to make a reference to one of my favourite films in this chapter, when A and Un fought for Mio's attention. I was going to have her jokingly call them Devon and Cornwall. But research told me that Quest for Camelot was bought out in 1998. This fic is set in 1995. We can't have any magica time travelling in this fic, can we? :p**

**So my film-studies-addled mind kicked me today while I was reading through volume twenty three to work on this chapter. As a film studies student, its drilled into your head that you analyse everything to death. InuYasha suffered that today. I'm hoping you're all familiar with the phrase 'monkey see, monkey do.' It sort of represents the masses. Masses of peoples are the monkeys that just follow each other. Now, think Naraku. He wears a babboon pelt. He's wearing the skin of a monkey. You think that could symbolise him destroying ordinary peoples (monkeys) lives and being proud that he'd done it?**

**I needed to get that out of the way because seeing it and not having a film teacher to talk to about it any more was driving me nuts. I'm gonna try and not analyse InuYasha to death any more, though. I bet none of you guys really want to hear me babbling about theories that really mean nothing but showing my appreciation for all the thought Takahashi-sensei put into my favourite manga.**


	10. Scroll Nine

**Its an hour before midnight. Saturday is only an hour away. I couldn't wait, though, so you get it an hour early. Aren't you lucky?**

**We're getting places here!**

**This chapter marks the completion of the NaNoWriMo challenge for me, sorta. I wasn't going to do this challenge this year. I rewrote this fanfic (all 50,000 words of it so far) on a whim. I didnt realise that this could sorta count as a NaNoWriMo entry until I got 44,000 words into it and went 'oh... I wasn't suppose to be doing much writing this month' Funny how things work out, huh? So this chapter marks me completing the 50,000 word challenge that NaNoWriMo presented. Yay for me!**

**This chapter, in part, follows the events of episode 96 _Jaken Falls Ill._**

**Thank you everyone that read the last chapter!**

**Thank you **Jenni94 **for adding this story to both your alerts and favourites!**

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**Kagome Kagome**

Scroll Nine

* * *

The waiting was agonising.

I took to doing something I hadn't in years: biting my nails. It was a habit I had kicked years ago, back when I'd had enough of my mother spanking my hand with a wooden spoon when she caught me. I remembered chewing on my nails releiving stress. The weeks without soap and a sink in the next room had left my nails caked with dirt, blood from the innumerous fish I had gutted and I have no idea what else. The taste on my tongue as I dropped my hand to my waist made me believe whole-heartedly that I really didn't want to now what else was oon my nails.

My fingers tangled with my sash, tugging at the pink material idly.

What was taking them so long? Master Jaken was so strong and, from what he'd told me, Lord Sesshomaru was even stronger still. Getting a little girl back from one magic-weilding man shouldn't take too long... should it?

Oh, I just wanted Rin back in my arms. I wanted to know the little girl was safe.

I'd never known parenting before. I'd never known what it was like to love a child; to adore them and want what was best for them and worry for them so much it was almost debilitating.

I hadn't known any of it until I had run through that forest and protected the girl at the cost of my own life.

I didn't want to lose that now.

The sash twisted tightly around my fingers again as I focussed on my breathing.

In. Pause. Out.

In. Pause. Out.

In. Pause.

My breath left my lungs in a heavy whoosh when something large hurtled towards me from the sky. I wheeled backwards, yelping when my heel caught a rock and I fell backwards. Before I hit the ground, felt something hot and hard band around my waist and yank me against a cold surface. The heat was unmistakable. "Lo-" A loud cry escaped me as Lord Sesshomaru jumped. We hurtled through the air at an incredible speed. It was like we were flying.

As I flattened myself against Lord Sesshomaru's armour, squeezing my eyes shut as I clung to fur and silk. I could feel a spike of his arms pressed uncomfortably into my neck.

I hazarded a glance, before burying my face into the demon boy's shoulder again. We _were _flying. "What's going on?" My voice was barely a breath, hitched with fear.

"Rin is elsewhere." I was jealous of the calmness in his voice. This wasn't affecting him at all.

"Please," I whispered into his shoulder. "Please get to her quickly." I needed to know that she was safe.

It seemed like it took an age for Lord Sesshomaru to stop.

I was shaky on my feet when they finally touched the ground again and weaved unsteadily as I tried to orient myself again. That odd _flying _wasn't something I think I ever wanted to try again. I could barely stand being off the ground when I was in an aeroplane. Being held just by an arm when we were so far off the ground had been terrifying.

After making sure I was steady on my feet again and wasn't going to stumble flat on my face, I looked around. I shot forwards as soon as my eyes settled on Rin, laying unconscious in the grass with a boy holding a huge kusarigama over her. "Rin!" I jerked mid-stride and fell backwards.

My sash jerked awkwardly and painfully up against my ribs as Lord Sesshomaru held the back of it to keep me in place. "Stay," he ordered as the boy turned to look at us.

"I'm not a dog," I shreiked, jerking forwards to try and break his hold. How could he tell me to stay in place with Rin in so much trouble?! "Rin! Rin." Why wasn't she waking up? How long had she been unconscious?

"He is above your level. Stay." Lord Sesshomaru dropped my sash and I landed in a heap at his feet. Though it pained me, Lord Sesshomaru's logic did get to me and I stayed still, desperately hoping Rin would be safe.

The boy raised his weapon above his head and I felt a sob of relief shake my body when he turned to face us. With the boy's attention away from the girl, Rin wasn't likely to get hurt. Rin was safe for now.

Lord Sesshomaru's hakamas brushed against my shoulder as he took a single step forwards, putting himself slightly in front of myself. My eyes were on Rin as Lord Sesshomaru spoke.

The yell of an unfamiliar name drew my attention and I watched in confusion as a red-clad boy punched the kusarigama-weilding child in the face, sending the young boy flying. Who was this person? As the red-clad boy faced Lord Sesshomaru, I was drawn to his appearance. He looked so much like Lord Sesshomaru! With the same white shade to his hair and brilliant golden eyes and sculpted cheekbones, the two could be brothers.

"I'll say it again, Sesshomaru, don't go after Kohaku!"

"It's useless, InuYasha," my Lord responded. _That _was InuYasha? He looked like a boy! He couldn't be any older than fifteen. He wasn't what I expected of an enemy of Lord Sesshomaru. But neither had Naraku. It seemed to be a running theme. Lord Sesshomaru's enemies were not what I expected. "Even if you want to protect him, the boy seems _determined_ to throw himself against my claws."

I knew what that meant. Lord Sesshomaru wasn't above hurting the boy. I was on my feet before Lord Sesshomaru moved, but my Lord got to the boy before I'd taken my first step. When I got to him, Lord Sesshomaru was holding the boy above his own head by his throat. I'd had first-hand experience with how uncomfortable it was to be held by your throat, so my first instinct was to try to get Lord Sesshomaru to stop. I yanked at his furisode sleeve. "Stop! Stop, he's just a boy!" I couldn't let Lord Sesshomaru kill a boy. Just the thought that my Lord could be so cruel made my stomach churn.

Before that nauseous feeling could grow, Lord Sesshomaru's fingers relaxed and the boy dropped to the ground. Relief swept my nausea away and with it all strength. I dropped to my knees, still holding loosely to his sleeve.

I'd seen Lord Sesshomaru kill demons before, but the thought of him harming a little human child terrified me. There was something different about him killing a human. Something so scary that I didn't want to even entertain the thought. I was thankful when he saved Rin and I from demons. He was keeping us safe. But I could never be comfortable with him killing a human to keep either one of us safe.

A sweet voice called my name, but it took a moment for me to gather the strength to raise my head. Standing was out of the question. Moments ago, I would have been at Rin's side before my mind even caught up with hearing her voice. After watching Lord Sesshomaru attack a little boy, I felt overwhelmed with so much emotion that it took a long time for me to realise that Rin was awake.

"Rin," I murmured, bringing myself to my feet with great effort and limping towards the girl. My slow movements picked up as I called her name again. By the time I got to her, I was running, ignoring the sharp pain in my foot with every step. The two of us collapsed to the ground as I collided with her and I held her to my chest, sobbing. "Rin, oh Rin, I was so worried."

Her warm arms wrapped around my ribs tightly. "I'm okay, Lady Mio," her little voice assured, petting my back gently. "I'm okay."

"I don't know what I'll do if you get hurt again, Rin."

In that moment I made a decision.

I wouldn't leave Rin.

I couldn't leave Rin.

Her hands tugged at the back of my kosode. "Lady Mio, Lord Sesshomaru is leaving. I don't want to be left behind."

"Right." I sniffled and wiped my cheeks with my sleeve as I sat up. Rin hopped up and pulled at my sleeve. I smiled, wiping at fresh tears as I stood. "Let's go catch up to Lord Sesshomaru, Rin."

The two of us walked, hand in hand, towards Lord Sesshomaru.

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Kagome Higurashi watched the child and woman walk towards InuYasha's half brother with something akin to awe in her wet eyes. She'd never seen such an emotional scene as the one that played out between those two when they were reunited. It had bought tears to her own eyes watching the woman cry over being reunited with her daughter.

She watched the two intently until she couldn't see either of them on the horizon.

Her dainty hand raised and slim fingers curled in the fire-rat robe of her half demon. "InuYasha... That woman... She had a jewel shard," she whispered hesitantly. Embedded in that woman's foot had been a shard. She expected a loud exclamation, for InuYasha to scream at her for not telling him when the woman was right in front of them. The long silence that passed after her whisper had her looking up to him through her long dark lashes.

He just grunted and crossed his arms over his chest when he noticed her gaze on him. "She doesn't need any more stress right now," he grumbled. He'd heard her crying and the sound had wrenched at him. He couldn't stand to hear a woman cry. He bristled immedaitely when he saw Kagome's lips twitch upwards slighty. "We'll just get them next time we see her! It's not like this is the last time we'll see Sesshomaru."

As he stormed away, Kagome watched him, the little upwards tilt of her lips blooming into a full smile. "Oh, Inuyasha..."

* * *

My fingers stroked through Rin's hair as the girl slept with her head in my lap.

Master Jaken and Lord Sesshomaru sat not far away, both had been watching over the two of us since we'd gotten back to Master Jaken and settled down in camp. Master Jaken was already snoring now, though, his head lolled forwards as he clutched to his staff.

"Thank you." Lord Sesshomaru cracked a lazy eye open and rolled it around to look at me. "For saving Rin and not... not killing that boy."

I wanted to protect the hope that Lord Sesshomaru wasn't a terrible person. I'd talked to him, suggested that he change. He had gone to save Rin in a heartbeat and even bought me along. I knew bringing me along had slowed him down. He could have left me and bought Rin to me. Him bringing me along had to mean something; that he knew how important it was for me to find Rin and had done me a kindness by bringing me along.

It could have been wishful thinking and reading too much into non-existent reasonings, but I was going to stick to this front.

"As I told my brother, I don't care to play Naraku's games."

"So InuYasha _is _your brother?" So InuYasha wasn't so much an enemy, as just a part in a fierce sibling rivaly?

"Not by choice." When were siblings ever around by choice? Knowing that Lord Sesshomaru had a sibling rivalry made him seem that much more normal in my eyes. That much more relatable.

Making any more comments on his brother would have only bothered my Lord, so I fell quiet.

* * *

That night I was plagued by terrible nightmares. Terrible enough for me to wake in a cold sweat in the early hours. Something nudging the back of my head made me cringe, but I relaxed when A and Un's heads appeared at each of my shoulders. I cupped their muzzles and pressed a kiss to each of their snouts.

An animal's concern was such a great healer. There was something incredible about knowing an animal cared for you.

"Your fear is irrational and unneccessary."

I turned my attention to Lord Sesshomaru as I leant my cheek against Un's. "We've had this conversation before, haven't we, Lord Sesshomaru? Though... this one _was _different, and quite rational this time." Rin was still sleeping in my lap. My fingers began teasing through her hair. I tittered softly as I caught a little snag. "We'll have to get you a comb soon." I could do with a comb myself. My hair was certaily looking not far off a birds nest by now. "I have nightmares about the wolves. The ones that... that attacked Rin and I. In my dreams, they chase me. It's terrifying, really. I can remember it all so vividly. But tonight's was different. They wolves...they got Rin before I could protect her."

A heavy sigh forced itself from my nose. "I've technically died twice, but nothing scares me so much as the thought of Rin in trouble."

"Twice?"

A conversation about death, especially my own death, wasn't one that I wanted to entertain so I just nodded in response. "I get why people say love is a full-time job," I chuckled weakly as my eyes slid closed. My eyelids felt so heavy. "I'm exhausted. Can we try to have a calm day so I can recover from all of this? I'm worried that my heart'll give out if all these scary things carry on."

My life had been phenomally busy and scary in the past month. I just couldn't keep up with the intense pace.

* * *

"Rin, Mio, you will travel on A-Un today."

I gladly too the chance to follow Lord Sesshomaru's orders and hoist myself up onto the dragon's saddle. Rin was at my heel.

Determined to lighten the heavy mood that still clung to the group after last night's intense happenings, I pitched a proposal to Rin. A new game for us to play. She was quick to jump at the chance to learn a new game from my home. She'd thoroughly enjoyed Sea Captain's Orders.

After a quick run-down of the rules, I began the game.

"I spy something...blue."

Rin's little head began snapping around, searching desperately for something blue.

"Is it that flower?" She pointed at a pale blue flower growing at the base of a tree. I shook my head. No, it wasn't the flower. She pouted, but returned to looking around. "Is it…the sky?"

"No."

Rin hummed, pursing her lips as she tried to think. With the two obvious choices out of the way, this wasn't so easy. There wasn't a lot of blue around us.

From his post leading A-Un through the trees by his reins, Master Jaken peered back at us over his shoulder I smiled at him. With an short huff, he turned back to staring ahead.

After a few minutes of little huffs and hums coming from the girl, she gave up with a whine. "I can't see anything blue, Lady Mio."

"I win, then. Do you want to know what it was?" Her frantic nods were met with a little giggle on my part. I leaned over a little so my head was at her level, and stretched my arm out in front of me, between A and Un's heads and over Master Jaken's to Lord Sesshomaru's back. "There, see? Lord Sesshomaru's sash." True to my words, fluttering in the breeze was Lord Sesshomaru's yellow and_ blue_ sash.

"Wow, you're good at this, Lady Mio! Let's play again." In front of us Master Jaken began mumbling. Too quiet for me to hear, but apparently Rin had heard what he had said just fine and she called out a response to his mutterings. "If you think it so easy, Master Jaken, then you should play with us!"

He gave a loud belligerent cry. "Of course I wouldn't stoop so low as to play such a foolish game with you two simple humans!" Since last night I'd noticed that Jaken was acting rather snappish with Rin and I. Without wanting to assume, yet doing exactly that I suppose, my mind had supplied a theory. He was pulling away; distancing himself because he'd been scared that Rin being kidnapped could have ended much worse. He was pulling away because he didn't want to suffer if either of us were ever severely injured.

A big assumption, and one that I seriously hoped was wrong.

Rin's lip pushed out into a pout and her large brown eyes dulled a little with hurt. I spoke up to put an end to what could possibly be a verbal squabble. "Well then, Rin," I addressed the girl, drawing her brown eyes to me. "I guess it'll just be us two humans playing. Since I won the last round, it's my turn again. So I spy something…" I looked around slowly. "That's it! I spy something brown."

"Is it a tree trunk?" Rin asked immediately.

I was opening my mouth to tell her no when Master Jaken beat me to the punch. "Of course it isn't, you silly girl! It's obviously the dirt!" But maybe my theory was wrong. Maybe this was just a bad day for him. We all had bad days.

"Sorry, Master Jaken, that isn't right either," I told him with a little smile. "You'll have to guess again." He just gave an angry huff and put all of his attention into leading A-Un.

Rin opened her mouth to make another guess, but a loud rumbling from her stomach distracted her. She placed her hand on her stomach then leaned forwards to peer around me. My hand moved to grasp her sash to keep her in place. "Lord Sesshomaru," she called out. "I'm starting to get really hungry. May I go and look for something to eat?" She sat back as she waited for his answer and I let my hand slip from her sash.

Lord Sesshomaru didn't answer. I bit the inside of my lip as I leveled a sharp look on the back of his head. Had my suggestions for how he treated Rin gone in one ear and out the other? I didn't want to pull him aside for another talk so soon. Nagging him about this would only serve to make him dig his heels in. Nagging a teenager was never a good option.

Master Jaken was always on hand to give an answer when Lord Sesshomaru didn't. "Quiet. A forest like this will have nothing for you to eat. You'll just have to wait."

"Yes, but-"

"I don't wanna hear any buts out of you."

I was focussed on running possible retorts Rin would give through my head to find a quick and simple way to diffuse the bickering these two seemed to get into a lot. My focus was situated on what her words might be more than what her actions could be. Usually Rin and Master Jaken just talked back and forth, riling each other up more and more. So when Rin pushed herself off the saddle and darted into the forest, calling a cheerful "I'll be very quick" over her shoulder, I didn't react half as quickly as I should have. By the time I had my hand outstretched to catch her before she slid off A-Un's saddle, she was already behind a tree.

"Rin!" I called out in what must have been a poor attempt at the 'mom' tone that usually stopped children in their tracks. Besides me, Jaken began squawking what my tone should have said. She just ignored the both of us and carried on. I exhaled a sharp breath and slid off A-Un as Lord Sesshomaru scolded Jaken for yelling.

"Mio," our Lord said, making me freeze in my tracks as I began towards the girl who was already out of sight. I despaired over the fact that he'd perfected the 'mom' tone and I hadn't. "Return to A-Un. There's no malicious presence in this area."

Was that his way of telling me that she was safe? "More than just people can hurt her, Lord Sesshomaru." It made me feel better knowing that there wasn't a person out to harm her, but in a forest this large there were still innumerous ways she could hurt herself. I didn't want to think about what sort of trouble she could get into.

A sharp look from the Lord silenced any more protests I had on my tongue. My eyes flickered to the ground to avoid his. I felt like I was doing something wrong by trying to go after Rin. Lord Sesshomaru had mastered the 'mom' look, as well.

With a sigh, and a wary glance cast in the direction Rin had gone, I leant against A-Un. Un immediately twisted around to nudge my shoulder with his snout. I had to smile at his attempts to cheer me up. Sometimes he and A reminded me of puppies. When they sensed sadness they pounced, trying to bring the mood of whoever was sad up with continuous affection. A and Un were just two big, scaly puppies.

"That girl," Master Jaken huffed, dropped down to sit with his legs crossed. He was clearly settling in to wait for the girl.

"I'll talk to her when she gets back," I promised as I ran my fingers through Un's thick mane. "I'll make sure she knows she can't wander off alone any more. Not after last night." It was too dangerous for her to be wandering off alone now. We had to stay together. There was safety in numbers. I paused for a long moment. "You know... You could stand to treat her a little better yourself, Master Jaken."

I wasn't going to play the blame game. It wasn't Master Jaken's fault that Rin had run like that. The act was on her, but we could all stand to treat each other nicer in this group. We needed to work together as a team. I had to work at that myself. Lord Sesshomaru and I had clashed quite well in the past few days. We needed to work at getting along better just as much as Rin and Master Jaken did.

Master Jaken ignored my suggestion and from that we descended into a silence.

That silence made the scream that echoed through the trees so much louder.

"Stay with A-Un," Lord Sesshomaru ordered as he passed me in a sprint.

I limped forwards after giving a disbelieving 'pfft.' When Rin screamed like that, I wasn't going to just stay here and obey like a good pet. I was stopped with the face of a wooden woman imprinting itself on my chest. Master Jaken withdrew the staff that he'd just beaten me with and I rubbed at my chest as Master Jaken glared up at me. "Stay with A-Un," he parroted our Lord. "They can protect you while we find Rin. This forest has become too dangerous for you humans to be wandering around alone."

The imp turned and followed his lord at his own waddling sprint.

I limped forwards again, but was stopped a second time. Un's head pressed against my stomach, keeping me in place. "You're all conspiring against me," I huffed as I slumped back against Un's neck, crossing my arms over my chest.

* * *

Rin rounded a tree trunk with tears tracks staining her cheek. "Lady Mio, I need A-Un!" Her arms wrapped around my waist and she sobbed into my chest.

I gathered her in my arms and pressed a kiss to her hair. "Where's Lord Sesshomaru and Master Jaken, Rin?" Neither of them emerged from the trees behind Rin.

The little girl sobbed again. "Master Jaken was poisoned!"

A choked noise tore from my throat. "Poisoned?!"

After a deep breath, Rin went on a rant that some part of me was impressed she could do while sobbing and without pausing to gasp for breath. I didn't catch a lot of her rant, but I got enough to know that Master Jaken had been poisoned by something and needed a particular plant to save him before he died and the only way to get to him in time was to use A-Un to get the plant that he needed.

I wanted to go with her, to make sure she was safe, but I had some first aid experience. There was a chance I could do something for Master Jaken that some couldn't.

My hands dropped to her shoulders. "You go with A-Un. Do what you have to. I'm going to go find Master Jaken." I pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Be safe, Rin."

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**Information time**

**Breathing - **The act of focussing on pausing between breathing in and breathing out actually helps calm down panicking. I've bought myself out of many panic attacks by doing this.

**Kusarigama - **A traditional Japanese weapon; a sickle on a chain with a weight on the end. They were a popular ninja weapon. I'm mentioning this because Kohaku continuously got annoyed at Bankotsu calling him a ninja and that amused me.

**Furisode - **Literally meaning 'swinging sleeves', a furisode is a kimono characterised by the length of its sleeves. In modern times the furisode is only worn by women, usually unmarried women under the age of twenty. In the past though, the furisode was also worn by boys who were under eighteen or hadn't completed their coming-of-age ceremony. It's very strange for Lord Sesshomaru to be wearing a furisode, actually. Physically, so my research has told me, he was nineteen.

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**Review corner!**

**TheOpheliac - **I've read all of those... I think I've exhausted all Sesshomaru/OC fics on this site. If you can stand AU fics, I'd suggest you read _Time For A Change_ by _TormentingAllLemmings_. Its a pretty good fic. I enjoy quite a few of her fics, actually. _The Botanist and the Beast _by _KarmaKat _is also a good Sesshomaru fic. My advise is: don't. Just avoid the books and the film and you'll live a happier life. Those compliments again! I'm going to have to put a limit on how many times you can compliment me in reviews! That's twice in as many days that someone's said that my Jaken is less irritating than the show's. I'm trying to keep him in character. Obviously Im not doing too well if people are commenting on him being so different! Being a teacher teaches you a lot of things. Im good friends with a teacher and she learns more from her students than she teaches them. I'm glad you like that! I just see Sesshomaru being the type of person that avoids talking about himself, unless it's to boast about something. Changing the topic to Rin was less about caring for Rin and more about distracting Mio with a topic he knew would actually distract her. Rin is a very good distraction for Mio. Sometimes I see people in fanfics that make promises, then forget them when they meet their pairing character and you hear nothing about that promise ever again. I purposely made a point of having Mio forget her promise, but in a way that was believable. A lot has happened to her since she made that promise. It's perfectly believable that she forgot her promise for a short time, and suddenly remembering it in the middle of a conversation and questioning hersef about it is just as believable. Lots of things happened this chapter. I hope this lived up to your expectations! I'm just a soft touch for you guys. I know chapters make you happy and withholding chapters from you guys isnt easy. Witheld chapters burn holes in my doc manager. I've got to try and restrain myself, though. Let a few build up in case something like last time this went on an unintentional break happened. So even if I stop writing for a while, for whatever reason, I'll still have things to post. Health and happiness to you, too!

**Guest - **Thank you so much! My update schedule now is a weekly basis so there won't be any huge gaps. I'll post every Saturday.

**Setsuna1986 - **Procastination is a struggle we all have. I promised myself that I would get a few chapters written out this week in preparation for a possible situation in which I cant write anything, or struggle to write something. But right now I'm only half way through chapter ten. Every time I glance at the chapter, I just go 'pffft, I've got a week until it needs to be posted. It's fine!' I'm a bitch for procrastination. That was a big pitfall of the InuYasha series; character development was quite stunted for a lot of characters. The anime was better for character development. That's why I use the filler episodes, because Sesshomaru-centric filler episodes develop their characters far better than the manga does. Mio will certainly struggle fitting into a parental figure for Rin, for numerous reasons. The cultural differences for one. Parents of the modern era are certainly different than parents of the Edo period, which'll cause some struggle. Another reason will be Rin's standpoint. That'll be developed later so I won't ruin anything here. Actually, Mio isn't all that young, in relation to other InuYasha OC's I've encountered. She's twenty six. I decided that Sesshomaru would appreciate someone with a bit of maturity that age and experience would give in a person that he'd get involved in. There are certainly things that I've done while writing Mio's character that makes her more mature than your average teenager. From little things, like her lack of embarrassment when Jaken walked in on her and Rin bathing, to her ability to know when to keep quiet in a tense situation. These worts of thins are things that you gain with age. Hmm, I can see some potential for comic relief there. Gods no kidding! There's a reason I fight with my younger brother but melt in the presence of my little zoo of pets. Animals are way better than children. No offence to children, but I'm team animals! I see Sesshomaru as a very straight forwards person. I just don't think he would avoid everything. He seems like the type of man that would just deal with a problem rather than let it get on top of him. Mio has her moments of being upfront, but Mio is a person that struggles with herself. And, like all people, she doesn't want to deal with unpleasant conversations. She's not quite as strong as Sesshomaru is in that aspet; she's the sort of person that will let a situation get on top of her and crush her if she doesn't keep herself in check. Mio needs to bond with everyone in Sesshomaru's pack! A-Um count in that. I see a lot of people writing A-Un as a tool, only there for convenience of movement and to save the day like once then to be forgotten. Animals play an important role in people's lives, though. I couldn't just let A-Un be a tool. They're just as much of the pack as Jaken and Rin are, they just speak less. Less speaking means more action, though! Mio is a very optimistic person. She's definitely a glass half full type of gal. And honestly, I love those puppets. I just had to have Mio admire one, because I would do exactly the same thing in that situation. I haven't read Prince of Tennis. I think I tried to watch one episode of it back in my 'try everything to find my niche' days of anime watching. I would certainly try reading it. I'll be honest and say that it may come down to me not getting on with the fic because I don't know the characters, but I'll certainly read it. I can try and give some constructive criticism, too, if you wanted? I was just the same when I started out! I'd just write a scene, or a chapter or two, then leave it because I didn't know what to do with it. It's perfectly normal to get ideas that go nowhere. I've had ideas for a hundred fanfics, and yet I've only got two on the go at the moment. It's just how writing is. I'll help out all I can! Looking forward to the next review!

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**Naturally Mio's wish for a calm day was ignored completely.**

**A new point of view! Kagome finally meets Mio... sort of. Mio was too set on Rin to really notice Kagome's presence.**

**The fact that Mio has become a parental figure has just hit her like a brick! And she gets sharp with Sesshomaru because shes worried about Rin.**

**People so rarely show Rin as the strong girl she is. Rin has been through so much in her short life and she's grown strong because of it. I can see her as being a character that would be strong for others when they can't be, so I tried to show that with this chapter. Her comforting Mio shows her incredibly strong character. She was the one that was kidnapped and almost killed, yet she's the one comforting a worried mother-figure. _That _is the type of strength Rin hardly ever gets represented with in fanfiction.**

**A section of this was taken from _Golden Windows. _I couldn't help myself. When I wrote the I Spy scene in the first version of this fic, I seriously adored it and promised myself when I began to rewrite it, that I would find a way to add it in here. Since the first half of the series has a longer anime, more filler and film plot, I intended to use it to pad out the second half of the series with some original content, but the scene fit in here perfectly, so I couldn't not use it. I'll think up other scenes for later original content padding!**


	11. Scroll Ten

**I'm writing this, and apologising, before I write the chapter.**

**There may be a huge dip in quality this chapter and the next two or three chapters. My parrot died last night - as of the time of writing this note - and I'm struggling with that a lot. I'm throwing myself into writing to try and work through my emotions via word, as I so often do, but the fact that my mind is distracted may result in a dip in quality so I'm greatly sorry for that.**

**This chapter follows, in part, episode 96 _Jaken Falls Ill. _There are some ammendments to the final scene of the episode. Lord Sesshomaru isn't in the final scene and they don't begin travelling again that evening. Jaken and Rin just talk. Everything happens the same, up until Rin apologises to Jaken for giving Sesshomaru so much trouble. You'll understand why I made this change when you read.**

* * *

**Kagome Kagome**

Scroll Ten

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Finding Master Jaken was thankfully rather easy.

I dropped to my knees at his side and stopped him from struggling to move with a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You can't move around so much, Master Jaken. It'll make the poison move faster through your system."

The imp opened his large yellow eyes. They were glassy and unfocussed. I stroked his forehead with a gentle hand. His scaly skin was clammy. I'd never met any creature that had scales and sweated. It was a strange thing for me to get my head around. "Mio..." Even his voice ounded frail.

"Yeah, it's me, Master Jaken." I curled my hand around his little claws and squeezed gently. I marvelled at how large my hand was compared to his. At four foot ten, I could never be described as anything but dainty. I was slim (slimmer now in the month I hadn't had access to MeltyKiss) and short and fragile. Yet Master Jaken made me seem like a giant. His head only reached my hip when we stood side-by-side.

I inhaled slowly, then schooled myself. I needed to be professional right now, not bog myself down with worry over Master Jaken's frailness. "Rin said you were poisoned by an insect. Where did the insect get you?" It took a moment for him to process the question, but when he did, he raised his right arm. I graped it and looked over it carefully, but I couldn't see any marks that'd suggest he'd been bitten, stung or even scratched. "Are you sure, Master Jaken? I don't see anything there."

He huffed and slapped away my hands. "Don't patronise me! I've healed, stupid human! I heal at a much faster rate than you do!"

"Don't push away my help," I said firmly, grasping his tiny hand once again. My shoulder's slumped as he struggled a little before settled down. "Please don't push me away and make me worry any more. Let me look after you until Rin gets back with the plant you sent her out for."

Master Jaken turned his head away from me and I bowed my own. My fringe, which was starting to grow quite long now, dropped over my eyes and brushed the bridge of my nose and tops of my cheeks. Why did some people have to be so stubborn? Why wouldn't people let others help them when they needed it? Pride meant nothing if you were dead, so why should it mean so much if you were dying? I didn't understand it.

"Don't cry," he ordered. I lifted my head to look at him again. His face was still turned away. "I won't tolerate you crying like Rin did!"

"Yes, Master Jaken." I smiled softly, blinking away the tiny layer of tears in my eyes. "You'll see no tears from me, I promise."

"Good!"

I ran my hand gently over his forehead again. "Rin'll be back soon."

We lapsed into a silence and I grew more and more sad as I listened to his laboured breathing wheeze more and more. "Oh, Master Jaken..." I hated seeing people sick and despite my promise I felt tears prickling at the corners of my eyes again. "I don't know how any of us will cope if you die."

Rin and I, certainly, had become very dependent on Master Jaken in the time that we'd known him. He protected us. Lord Sesshomaru had become dependent on that, too. Lord Sesshomaru was a nomad by nature. He didn't stay still. My bet was that he couldn't stay still; that he would never be happy staying in one place for more than a day. He'd have to do that a lot if he cared for Rin and I without Master Jaken around.

"I never thought I'd have humans cry for me."

A hiccuping little laugh escaped me. "Of course we'd cry for you, Master Jaken! We care for you. You're so important to us."

Yellow eyes slid closed again and he gave a deep, sad sigh. "This is why humans and demons should never mix. Feelings never end well for us demons." His eyes cracked open.

A snort so jaded tore from me, that I pressed the tips of my fingers to my lips, wondering how I could make such a terrible sound. Master Jaken peered up at me curiously, also shocked at the dark noise I had made. "Master Jaken," I began, then paused to gather my words. "Feelings never end well for anyone, demon or no. They're not easy for anyone."

"But I'll watch you die long before myself," he snapped back, then a look of horror flashed across his face.

My lips parted to make a comment, but closed again a beat later.

So this was why he'd been so snappish with us. That was clearly something that he'd been harbouring. This wasn't a thought that he'd had because he'd been poisoned. My guess was this was why Master Jaken had been so snappish with Rin and I lately. He'd realised how fragile humans were and was pulling away to save the pain of watching someone close to him die in such a short period of time.

I inhaled, then exhaled. "You're the one dying right now, Master Jaken." I felt ashamed when the imp flinched, but I carried on. This couldn't be left unsaid. "I'm watching you die now and if you do, I'll live the next sixty years feeling pain over your death. Watching people die is terrible, but you cant pull away from them to try and save yourself. You have to live life together with them, be happy on the good days and sad on the bad. Together." I squeezed Master Jaken's little hand again. "Pulling away from things to make them easier on you in the long run is no way to live. It'll make you lonely and miserable."

The tears fell down my cheeks freely now, promise be damned. "If you die today, because of this poison, or because we get trampled by wild animals before the poison takes hold of you, I will greive. I'll greive until I'm dead, whether that be in five minutes, five years or five decades. But I'll be happy, because we shared time together and we became close and we've shared some happy times together; the six of us." He and Rin and Lord Sesshomaru and A and Un and I had shared some great times together. "I'll be happy because, for however short our time together was, it was important to me and I care so much about you."

I truly did care about Master Jaken. He was my family.

"You make dealing with pain sound so easy." He sounded so tired when he said that.

"It isn't." Dealing with pain was never easy. Never. "But knowing you is worth the pain, so I'll deal with it all as it comes."

Silence again.

* * *

The sky was beginning to bleed pink through the trees.

Master Jaken had long since descended into a pained delirium, barely reacting to anything, except to curl in on himself occasionally and moan in pain. I stayed by his side, offering silent support, gripping his hand and wiping any cold sweat from his brow with the sleeve of my kosode.

"The poison is spreading." It was the first time he'd spoken understandable words since his tired comment on my ability to deal with pain. He'd been fading in and out with nonsensical babble throughout the afternoon. "Rin didn't make it back on time with the antidote."

"You're lucid again." Was this the last moment of lucidity before he succumbed to the poison? I'd heard that lots of people that were delerious up until their death had a final moment of lucid thought to say goodbye. I sniffed as I carefully stroked at his forehead. "Oh, Master Jaken..." Could I distract him in his final moments? Would he slip into a more calm end if he was distracted from the pain and horror for a few moments?

"You never did guess what was brown." It was the first thing my mind came up with. Our silly game of I Spy before this happened.

His glassy yellow eyes rolled up to mine. "A tree trunk," he guessed weakly.

"Rin already said that." My damp sleeve swiped over my wet cheek, wiping away more tears. The hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stood on end. He was so close to the end.

His eyes began moving, looking around for what it could be. They stopped on something and he rubbed his eyes, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

I turned a look over my shoulder. "Lord Sesshomaru..." Stood directly behind me was Lord Sesshomaru. The fur that was hanging from his shoulder was just a fraction of an inch off brushing aganist my foot. How could he get so close without me realising it? "Is that...?" I looked up at the demon boy hopefully. He had a plant held loosely in his grip. Was that the plant that Master Jaken had sent Rin out to get? Was that the plant that could save him?

I got my answer when Master Jaken caught it against his chest and sniffed. "The antidote!"

My body slumped in relief, head bowed and shoulders shaking as Master Jaken began chewing at the plant.

Master Jaken was safe.

He was going to live.

I could hear Master Jaken stand and move around, probably shaking off the stiffness of laying in one place for most of the day. My tearful eyes were trained on my knees as emotions overwhelmed me. He was safe. He was alive and safe for now.

"Mio, come." Lord Sesshomaru turned and without even thinking, my hand shot out to grasp at the empty sleeve of his furisode. He paused mid-stride and returned his foot to the ground.

"Please," I whimpered. Please what? I didn't know.

I just knew that emotions were raging through my head at the moment and I needed time to think them out before I could even consider composing myself enough to travel.

"Jaken," the demon held in my grasp said. "Take A-Un and find a camp for the night." After a chirp of 'yes, my Lord' the imp left. "What is the meaning of this?"

"I'm sorry." I dared not look up at him. "Please. I can't-" I couldn't get a full sentence out. Between the sobs and the racing of my mind, I just couldn't think straight or get any words out. My hand fisted tightly in the silk sleeve I held captive and I bowed my head further, amost pressing it to the ground. "I need comfort. Please. Please, grant me this."

I'd been so brave. I'd faced the world as best as I could. but in this moment I needed the comfort of someone close. I needed the comfort Saburo had always given me; the embrace of a man. Someone to physically hold me together while I worked through my emotions.

Lord Sesshomaru folded himself gracefully to the ground besides my head.

"Thank you," I warbled, wrapping myself around Lord Sesshomaru to get the comfort I needed. The armour he wore was cold against my temple and cheek as I laid my head against his armour, finding a comfortable position between the spike on his chestplate and the spiked pauldron protecting the shouder of his missing arm. My fingers sank into the warm fur curled over his other shoulder. I felt so warm, like I belonged here. "Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru. Thank you."

He was silent. He didn't even twitch as I laid my weight against him and took the comfort I needed from him.

* * *

I woke with a painful crick in my neck and a chill seeping into my body.

A reluctant eye cracked open, sore and unfocussed. I'd fallen asleep crying again. When I remembered just who I'd fallen asleep crying on, I jerked back, sore eyes wide. "Oh, Lord Sesshomaru!" He was staring ahead silently, his body relaxed. I wiped under my sore eyes then rubbed at the back of my sore neck, rolling my head back to try and work out the crick. Sleeping against a chestplate wasn't comfortable, no matter how complete I felt with my arms wrapped around the man.

"I'm sorry," I apologised. "I didn't meant to fall asleep on you."

I couldn't believe that I'd cried myself to sleep again. I felt so pathetic.

"Jaken set up camp close. They are waiting on us to travel again."

"Right." I adjusted my kosode and combed out my tangled hair as bbest as I could with my fingers. I was close to writing my hair off as a lost cause. "Thank you for last night."

Lord Sesshomaru rose to his feet and cast me a silent glance. He looked completely unaffected by sitting in one position all night, and considering how bright it was, through a good portion of the morning, too. How could he looks so perfect? The only time I'd ever seen him disheveled was during our first meeting. I'd gone through life recently getting more and more disheveled with every day. I would give anything to be able to see my old bathroom again; shower, tweesers, razors, cosmetics and all.

"Really," I continued as I limped after the man. His pace slowed after a moment, so we were talking side by side. "It means a lot to me, and it couldn't have been comfortable for you, so thank you for putting yourself out of your element for me." I smiled brightly up at him.

"It's a wonder you survive with the amount you cry."

A bubbly little giggle sounded from me as I beamed up at the man. "If I didn't cry, I wouldn't survive." Crying let out emotions that would stew inside of me if I didn't let them out with my tears. bottling up emotions was a dangerous thing that I wouldn't let myself do any more. "I'm not a strong person that can hold everything on my shoulders, so instead of collappsing under the weight of everything, I let it go by crying."

The huff that Lord Sesshomaru gave told me that he didn't understand that at all. That was okay. I didn't expect him to understand it.

"Lady Mio!" Rin threw her arm up and waved as she became visible between the trees.

I smild brightly and waved back to her. "We're all back together, happy and well." The past few days had been tough, but we'd all survived and were back together. That made me incredibly happy.

Besides Rin, Master Jaken smiled and threw up his own arm.

This was how we all should be.

* * *

**Information time!**

**Pauldron - **A component of plate-armour that protects the shoulder. Sesshomaru's armour doesn't look like a traditional pauldron, but I cant quite find anything that looks like his armour, so a pauldron it shall be called for now.

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**Review corner**

**TheOpheliac - **_The Botanist and the Beast_ is probably the one that I'd suggest to read the most. It was the fic that inspired quite a bit of Kagome Kagome. The biggest thing, I think, is the development of a relationship between the OC and Jaken. So you can go thank _KarmaKat _for me making Jaken so developed and likable. (I suppose I'll just _have_ to deal with the compliments, then, huh?) Sesshoaru plays to his opponents weaknesses. Mio's just unlucky that she has the weakness of being distracted by Rin. I'm sorry for your loss. Funerals really are sad. I want people to dress up in the most clashing colours they possibly can at mine. I want it to look like a colour bombs gone off. My mother will hate it, but I'm sure it'll bring some levity to someone that attends. Ahah, I hope you didn't scream too loud! Pffft, my first self-pronounced fangirl. Brilliant! I've actually done that myself. 'So what's gonna happen this episo- uh, chapter' I wonder as I begin to write. You think I did all right with Kagome and InuYasha? I wasn't too sure whether I kept the two of them in character very well. I suppose I'd better try harder to keep them in character. I've got two big anime parts that'll involve the two of them quite a bit. I'm glad someone else fans at A-Un as much as I do! I can't help but have a silly big grin on my lips when I write A-Un. Actually, now we're venturing into new territory. It's all new from this point on. Yeahh, I'm finally actually getting around to doing that. As I write this, I'm about a third of the way through chapter eighteen. Pffft, its definitely not freeing up any time at the moment! All I do is sit and watch/read InuYasha and write. My ass is in one position on my claimed couch so much that the couch has an imprint of it now! But a little way down the line, when my muse isn't quite so fresh and ideas don't come so quickly - a time where I might just write one chapter a week for a while rather than one a day like I have been doing - I'll have lots of free time. I know that if I carry on the rate I am doing, I'll have to stop because I don't own all the manga volumes and I know I'm getting at least six of them for Christmas. Christmas day I'll probably just steal a bottle of coke, a bottle of bourbon, my mother's boyfriend's parents wi-fi password, and find a quiet corner to sit and drink and read my new volumes and write. I know I get better at playing rhythm games when I'm drunk; maybe I'll also get better at writing too! Spose you guys'll find out when my over-Christmas chapters come out, probably some time in March or something with the amount I'm writing! I'm glad you like! Haha, I thought you'd like that your theory was right. There's actually a _lot _of importance in Mio having that jewel shard. It isn't just there randomly, so make your theories about why I chose to give her one! Apart from a few bruises and a bit of a headache from fighting with my brother, I'm fine. I hope you're safe, too. Health and happiness. See you next episode!

**Setsuna1986 - **It's still Friday for me as I write the reply, so you're safe! I do love that you review every chapter! I couldn't imagine a chapter where I don't converse with you down here in the corner. Make no mistake, Rin and Mio really like each other. They're very, very close, but you argue with the people you care about, I find. Realism is king in this fic of demons and time-travel! He would be seven years younger than her! My research has told me that he's physically bout nineteen. Though with his height on her, the age difference probably wouldn't look so big. He's exactly a foot taller than her. Hopefully Mio meets your opinion on the level of maturity Sesshomaru needs in a lover! Certainly. Animals have, literally, been a life saver for me. Without my parrot - may she rest in peace - and my dragon, I honestly wouldn't know where I would be in life. I really love writing a character that doesn't have a lot of personal strength. She's a very interesting character to have knocking around in the hollow cavern of my mind. Mio's a very family-oriented person. She likes having people close to her around. She's the sort of person that could find herself in a room of psychopaths and murders, and still talk to them and get to know them so she can have someone shes close to. It's an admirable trait, but a big flaw as well. Mio has learned through experience that you can't survive being pessimistic all the time. She's positive because shes learned to see the positive things in life so she doesnt succumb to sadness. Humans do have that annoying trait, dont they? Yes! Kohaku's first appearance. Im excited for him and Mio to begin travelling together. It'll be very interesting. Mio is a goodand very loving person. Ah, see, Mio can be tooth for a tooth in some situations, but a life isn't something to ever be gambled. She loves life too much to ever let someone die if she can prevent it. Mio will always put other people first. She would do anything for the people that she cares for. You'll see that in the Christmas chapters! Parenthood is a bit of a tabboo conversation for Mio. I've hinted at why it's taboo before and will hint at it again in the near future. I really must be doing something right! You've commented on how much you like both the characters that I don't much like. InuYasha, for me, is on a similar level to Jaken. I'm not much of a fan of his, so I struggle writing him a lot. I hope he was in character in that scene. As awful as talking about your fears is, sometimes you just need to talk about them. Mio knows this. She won't let her emotions bottle up inside of her, so she talks them out. I'm glad you're liking the Jaken development. I bet you loved this chapter for Jaken development. And some Sesshomaru development, too. Considering her company and the time period that InuYasha is set in, Rin is treated very well. Better than most village children out there. But, Mio is from a different time. Cultural differences again. The fact that shes worked with children influences her opinion on how Rin should be treated, too. Im glad I can bring to light situations you haven't thought of before! I'll try and help all I can! We all have a lot to learn when it comes to writing. No one is a perfect writer. Im happy to help others improve! I know that well! When I picture scenes, sometimes I can't write them down half as well as I imagine them. It can be frustrating, but you've gotta power through it! This chapter was a fine example of that, actually. Looking forward to more reviews!

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**Well, after my comment on letting my emotions out via word, I actually didn't get anything written until I had a fist fight with my younger brother over something stupid. I'm pretty sure the two of us embody the idea that brothers fight dirty with each other. Two punches to the head got my mind working again, at least, though the massive bruise on my arm does make typing a little uncomfortable.**

**When it rains, it pours. **

**Some serious Jaken bonding here. Writing this chapter was painful. Anyone that knows me knows that I really dislike Jaken and it pains me that Mio likes him. It pains me greatly.**

**This is quite a big turning point for Mio and Sesshomaru, as well. Mio is the sort of woman that feels incomplete without a relationship. She gravitated towards Tahei quickly and now she's finding herself gravitating towards Sesshomaru. That's just the type of person she is. A lot of my characters are independent people that don't need relationships - a trait of myself that they've obtained. It's interesting to write a character that does need someone with her; someone who isn't always strong in the face of loneliness and needs a partner.**

**I do feel like I have to explain Lord Sesshomaru here, though. He isn't being affectionate, not really. There are no affectionate actions on Sesshomaru's part here. No hugging or petting or hair-stroking. He is just sat there. I've mentioned before that Rin takes on a monkey see, monkey do approach with learning behaviours; particularly from Sesshomaru in this fic. Children do that often. So, too, do people that haven't had the teachings that some have. Sesshomaru falls into this category. He hasn't been taught to love and care for others like the majority of people have. In the time that Rin and Mio have been under Sesshomaru's care, he's witnessed the two comforting each other with hugs plenty of times. When Mio said that she needed comfort, he remembered that Mio and Rin comforted each other with hugs and offered himself for physical comfort in a monkey see, monkey do move. After his and Mio's conversation, he's realising that things can't go on the same and he has to change something. He's most certainly not at the point where he'll throw himself into a hug with his arms spread wide and music playing in the background, and I doubt he'll ever be that sort of person, but he's learned through watching that physical contact comforts Mio, so he's doing what he's comfortable with: becoming a rock for my limpet of an OC to stick herself onto for a while.**

**Writing Mio this chapter was a big challenge for me as a writer. I am very different in the way I deal with emotions and I do not understand the way Mio deals. I struggled a lot with writing it, so I hope that I did it in a realistic and believable way.**

**I'm sorry this chapter is so short. I just couldn't bring myself to do much to embellish it.**


	12. Scroll Eleven

**New chapter! Yay!**

**This chapter follows the events of episode 99 ****_Koga and Sesshomaru: A Dangerous Encounter. _All dialogue used comes from the dubbed version of the episode to keep consistency.**

**People! We've reached a thousand views. This is an incredible achievement for me. A thousand views is truly wonderful and I'd like th thank every single person that's read this story so far for this. Thank you, all of you.**

**I have a bit of news, too. I was impatient, so I bought myself the last few volumes of Inuyasha I needed. Which means that by Christmas, I'll have all the books I need to make some really solid plans for future plotpoints, and I won't fall flat after a couple chapters because I don't have the means to carry on writing. Health and good fortune permitting, it'll be smooth sailing in writing the fic now!**

**Thank you to everyone that read the last chapter!**

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**Kagome Kagome**

Scroll Eleven

* * *

A miracle happened.

A week of travelling passed without incedent.

Well, that was a small lie. Rin and Master Jaken bickered endlessly between themselves more often than they just talked, which ended in lots of pouts and at one point a stone smacking the back of Master Jaken's head. Initially I had thought it was Rin that had thrown the stone and I'd been just about to scold her when I realised that the stone had come from a completely different direction than where innocent little Rin was walking. I sent a silent Lord Sesshomaru quite a fierce glare when I realised that it was him that had sent the stone flying. Really, I had hoped that Lord Sesshomaru wouldn't act so childishmy towards Master Jaken now.

I was surrounded by children.

And, despite the stress of keeping all three bickering children from tearing into each other, I couldn't be happier.

The six of us were in a great little routine now that made me content to be with them in a way that I'd never felt around people before. I'd lived with a few people in my time; my parents, obivously, my best friend from high school Yuna for a short time when my parents had died, and most recently Saburo, but not once in all those years had I felt content to be constantly around people like I was now with the five strange people I found myself living with. I'd felt no pressing desire to disappear into my room - or for a solitary walk, as was my only peace on the road - to get away from them and have a moment to myself.

We didn't all live in perfect harmony; there were arguments, naturally, and times when sleep didn't come easy through the nightmares, or we struggled to find food and went hungry for a while, but those were hardly consequential in the grand scheme.

I was happy.

"Sea captain's orders... clap three times!" Rin had roped Master Jaken and I into a game of sea captain's orders to pass the morning while we waited for Lord Sesshomaru to return for him morning outing. Things had returned to how they were; either Lord Sesshomaru or Master Jaken would go out on an errand and return either by lunch or nightfall.

Master Jaken clapped immediately at sea captain Rin's order. It took me a moment to process the order and clap myself. Two pairs of large eyes turned to me.

"Lady Mio, you're awfully slow today," Rin commented with a little worried frown. She ran her fingers under her eyes, tracing out invisible bags. "And you're starting to look like a tanuki. Haven't you been sleeping well?"

"Sorry, honey," I apologised on instinct. The wolf nightmares had been persisting and we were moving further and further towards winter. I didn't sleep so well when I was cold. I was sure the bags under my eyes were pretty dark now, between the nightmares and the cold sleepless nights, but I carried on mostly as well as usual. Perhaps now my time to crash was coming. I'd lasted well enough. "I'll be fine, I promise." It was just a little lack of sleep. I'd been to university; I had survived worse than a week of nightmares and sleepless nights.

The little girl looked up at me worriedly for a moment. "Maybe playing games isn't a good idea. We should go find food for lunch, then you can have a nap until Lord Sesshomaru arrives. If you get some sleep, you'll feel better! My mamma always said that when I was feeling ill a nap was the best thing for it."

Rin didn't often speak of her family. Sometimes you'd think that her life had only begun when she had met me, with how little she talked about her life from before. I wished that she would open up more about her past, but I was loathe to push her in case it made her pull away from me. "All right, honey. Let's go find something to eat."

A full belly and a nap in the sun would do me well, I think, if I could stave off the nightmares of the wolves.

Rin grasped my hand and pulled me along, through the thick forest. Master Jaken followed behind us with a squawk.

"Rin, honey, there's no need to go so fast. I'm not as good as you in the forest." Sometimes Rin reminded me of a wild-child - like a tiny female version of Tarzan - with how easy she could weave through trees and evade roots. She hardly stumbled at all. She must have been wandering through forests like this for her entire life. It was quite an impressive talent to someone like me, who just blundered through forests with a prayer that I wouldn't trip. A prayer that was, unfortunately, mostly ignored. My arms were constantly decorated with little scrapes from times I had fallen during our travelling.

"Listen, Lady Mio! There's a river. Master Jaken and I can try and catch some fish!"

Behind us, Master Jaken tripped on a root. "Slow down, Rin!" he called out. "Don't be too hasty! Lady Mio can't run at your speed, lame as she is."

I appreciated Master Jaken's concern for me, but surprisingly, I was keeping up just fine. Today was a good day. My foot was hardly hurting at all, even as I put the majority of my weight on it. And, even more spectacularly, I wasn't tripping clumsily over everything. I'd stubbed my foot a little, but I hadn't tripped and fallen flat yet. That was a small victory if I'd ever had one.

The sound of running water began to trickle into my ears. "Oh, I hear the river now!"

The girl beamed up at me as we pushed past a bush and out into the grassy area surrounding the bank. We weren't alone. I was taller than Rin and stood just above the bush. I saw what was there before Rin did and reached out to grab her shoulder, pulling her back against me as we both came to a stop.

I could feel my heartbeat hammering as I stared into the threatening eyes of my nightmare.

Growls erupted around us.

My nightmares hadn't done those growls justice. They were far more terrifying when I was stood face-to-face with them.

One of the two men stood behind the beasts scolded the wolves like they were harmless, if slightly annoying, puppies. There was a split reaction between the beasts. Some whimpered and backed down, but the others took no mind. There was malice in their eyes. They were out for blood. Our blood.

Rin's body trembled against mine. Mine was trembling just as much, I realised, clenching my hand tightly around Rin's shoulder, both to keep her close to me and to try and get that trembling to stop.

Master Jaken appeared like an angel through the bushes, and I pushed Rin towards him. She cried out his name as she crouched behind him for safety. I backed up a few steps until I was stood besides the imp. The wolves would have to get through Master Jaken and I before they got to Rin.

The staff of two heads that had so valiantly protected Rin and I in the past shifted slightly in Master Jaken's grasp as he tilted it so it crossed over my chest. The comfort of the staff in front of me calmed my panicked mind slightly. Enough to get my breathing less laboured again, though I still trembled like a leaf as my eyes stayed locked with one particular wolf.

"You there! Wolves. Leave this area immediately," Master Jaken ordered.

One of the men pitched forwards a step with his fists raised. "Why should we? Besides, who do you think you're talking to?"

The denial put me on edge. They wouldn't attack, would they? There were more wolves here than when Rin and I were attacked. There was no way I could protect her as well this time. There was far too many. They'd be able to tear through me and get to Rin easily. Too easily for my peace of mind.

A young man with a somewhat familiar hairstyle to me (never did I think I would see a mohawk here) began a bragging introduction. "We're the right and left hand men of Koga, the young leader of the wolf demon tribe! I'm Hakkaku, the shrewd one!"

"I'm Ginta. I've got dimples," came the addition of the other demon boy.

Such strange introductions finally got me to tear my eyes from the wolf that was staring me down. The two were stood in odd positions, like they were posing for some strange photo shoot.

"You must have heard of us," the two said together.

I shook my head slowly. The strange boys, who in my opinion didn't seem so scary after their silly introduction, had managed to get me to stop shaking. The sheer ridiculousness of the situation had made the threat of the wolves seem much less terrifying. If the wolves looked to these two for direction, as they seemed to with the boy with dimples scolding them like he did, then I didn't think that we'd be in too much trouble.

At least, I hoped.

Master Jaken shot the two down with a simple 'nope, never heard of you' that had the boys reeling in despair.

Master Jaken's demeanour changed immediately as he swung the staff of two heads out towards them. "Cower in fear, wolves! It has been centuries since I began serving Lord Sesshomaru!" Centur- what? My eyes snapped down to the imp gesturing wildly with the staff. Centuries? Lord Sesshomaru was that old? I knew he was a demon and knew that demons could live much longer than humans but centuries was something I couldn't get my head around. How could someone be that old? "Crossed through three thousand worlds, have I," Master Jaken continued, oblivious to my shock. "His most loyal follower. I answer to the name Jaken!"

As impressive, and informative, as I thought the introduction was, the two boys seemed less impressed.

Master Jaken couldn't respond to their dull unimpressed replies, though, as a new man entered the scene.

"Jaken, what's all this commotion?"

With a better shield in sight, Rin moved to stand besides Lord Sesshomaru. I watched Lord Sesshomaru as he stared at the growling wolves. A deep relief flooded me as the growling quieted. Rin felt far more comfortable with him here and honestly so did I. With both Master Jaken and Lord Sesshomaru here, those wolves didn't stand a chance at getting at Rin or myself.

The two wolf boys hurled questions at Lord Sesshomaru, demanding his name and his intentions.

Both boys stepped back, fear overcoming their features at our Lord's intimidating silence. "We're gonna leave, but it ain't out of fear," declared the dimpled boy... Ginta? I hadn't really paid much attention to the names attached to their introductions. The strangeness of them had taken all of my attention.

The other's bravado was just as poor. "Yeah, you don't scare us, mister!"

They almost tripped over themselves as they sprinted down the river with their tails between their leg and their wolves following.

"Uh, Rin." My gaze snapped back up to Lord Sesshomaru. Dd he just say 'uh'? I'd never heard Lord Sesshomaru use a filler before. I didn't think he even knew what they were. He was usually so proper with his speech. "Weren't you going to catch yourself some fish?"

He'd heard that? I didn't realise that he had been that close to us for so long.

Rin grinned up at the man and danced around him to get to the river. She paused mid-stride and turned abruptly to point at me. "Lady Mio, you should go nap. Master Jaken and I will prepare food for you, so just relax."

"Of course, Rin." Happy that I would comply, the girl ran to the river again. "Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru." The two of us turned our eyes to each other at the same time and I smiled up at him. "Thank you for protecting Rin and I from the wolves. We really do appreciate it."

A thin silver brow arched. "The two of you are under my protection. No wild animal will attack you."

"Still, thank you." I began surveying the area, looking for a decent place to take a nap. "Oh, Lord Sesshomaru? Can I make a request? Winter is coming and it's getting quite cold. Rin and I would benefit for some warmer clothing soon." I felt less scared of asking things of him after he spent the night letting me cry and sleep on him. There was clearly a part of him that cared for Rin and I if he would do that for me. It was logical to believe that he'd take our needs in mind if they were bought up, right?

I hoped so. It really was starting to get cold and we wouldn't be able to survive the winter in just our kosodes. It was better to have them soon, rather than wait till we really needed them.

He didn't answer my request, but I offered him one last smile before making my way to a tree that looked like it would be comfortable enough to nap under.

* * *

Growling. Snarling. Scared.

Running. Burning. Fear. Scared. _Scared!_

Snarling. Pain. Tearing. Screams. _Scared! _Scared. Scaredscaredscared!

Crying. "_Mio!"_

Screaming.

* * *

I awokewith a nasty jerk, toppling from my position leant against a trunk and landing in a tangled heap of limbs and fabric.

It took me a second to calm down enough to realise that I wasn't being tormented by my nightmares.

It was hot, I noticed as I shifted around.

It didn't take long to figure out why. Master Jaken had set up the fire close to where I had settled down, and I was tangled up with some cloth. I blinked as I fisted my hand in the thick pink material. It wasn't just a plain length of material. There were arms. "Is this a-" I winced at my rough voice and cleared my throat. "Is this a dochuugi?"

Master Jaken and Rin looked up from what they were doing - playing a game of sea captain's orders (something told me that it was now one of her favourite games) - when they heard the kerfuffle.

"Lady Mio, you're awake! Are you feeling better?" Rin abandoned the game to kneel next to me. "You don't look much like a tanuki any more."

Her smile melted away the last little fears I had from my nightmare.

I smiled at the girl and pushed myself to sit up. "I'm feeling better," I assured.

My stomach rumbled and I pressed a hand over it. Breakfast had been a few berries and I'd fallen asleep before lunch. I tipped my head back and looked up at the sky. It was getting quite late. Sunset wasn't too far off. I'd gotten good at telling vague times by looking at the position of the sun. It just seemed to be one of the things you learned when you were out travelling every day.

"Eat, then we'll be on our way," came Lord Sesshomaru's voice. I found him sat at the river's edge, looking back at me over his armoured shoulder.

"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru." I folded the dochuugi in my lap and shuffled forwards until I was in front of the fire. There was a skewered fish on a stick that was stuck in the ground a little distance from the fire. It was probably cold and overcooked, but I was more than happy to pull the stick from the dirt and bite into the warm fish. It wasn't as overcooked as I had thought it would be. "Will we be travelling long tonight?"

Logic told me that it would be silly to start travelling and stop again at sundown. It wouldn't be worth moving so close to sunset without travelling at least some part in the night.

"We'll travel until Rin falls tired," our Lord informed.

We'd be making a good go of it, then. Rin was a bundle of energy.

* * *

The evening wasn't quite so cold with my body swathed in my new dochuugi. The fact that the pink matched the pink of my kosode and sash made me smile. I hadn't expected fashion to be important to either Lord Sesshomaru or Master Jaken, but Master Jaken (who I'd thanked greatly when I'd found out he'd been the one to go to the closest village and purchase it for me) had made a conscious effort to find a dochuugi to match my current dress. Rin had also received one in a similar orange colour to her kosode, but she'd asked me to pack it away in my furoshiki cloth for her, saying that she'd use it later, when she started feeling the cold. I'd conceded and folded the clothing neatly into my furoshiki cloth.

"Lord Sesshomaru," I called out.

The demon stopped still for a moment, letting Master Jaken pass him before he started moving again, now at A-Un's flanks, besides me. His eyes found mine as he walked.

"Thank you." I raised one pink-clad arm as if to show him what I was thanking him for. "It's just what we needed. It's lovely and warm. Neither Rin and I will freeze in the winter wearing these."

He bowed his head in a nod. "You'll tell me when you or Rin should need something," he ordered.

"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru." I couldn't help the smile. He'd come a long way in the week since our conversation. I was thrilled that he was stepping up to care for us now.

The demon gave a quiet huff as Master Jaken spoke up. "Them again."

I turned my head to see the two wolf boys from this morning stood in our path, both with their arms thrown out to stop us from going any further.

"This road is closed. You cannot pass," spoke the boy sporting the mohawk.

"Turn around and take another route."

My brow furrowed. What were they doing? They'd run terrified from us just a few hours ago, and now they were holding us up. Did they think it was a good idea to bother us? I chewed on my lip as I stared at them. Were they masochists? Did they enjoy the thought of angering our Lord? Was there some sort of pleasure attached to that thought that made them come back and meddle?

"What'll we do now, if we can't take this route?"

Rin questioned our Lord when he didn't answer Master Jaken immediately.

I kept my focus on the wolf boys, still trying to figure them out.

"We're the personal assistants of Koga, the great your leader of the wolf demon tribe. I'm Ginta from the fires of hell."

"And I'm slayer Hakkaku."

And I pressed my hand to my mouth to stop myself from giggling at the ridiculous introduction. It was very different than their first introduction, given, but it was no less silly. After the way they had acted, did they think that they would intimidate anyone with a new 'impressive' introduction? Master Jaken seemed to agree with me, as he spoke with a sharp sort of amusement. "That wasn't what they said earlier on."

Yes, I distinctly remembered a declaration of being astute and the possession of dimples, earlier on.

Both boys thrust their open hands out in a unison that I thought was quite impressive. They obviously spent a lot of time together. "This road is closed. Turn around." I actually did giggle when the two began showing off ridiculous fighting moves. They looked more like they were flailing than fighting some invisible enemy. They thrust their fists out together in unison again. "You got that?"

At our combined silence, they grew nervous then began to show off even more ridiculous fighting moves, this time on each other.

These poor boys really were embarrassing themselves.

They paused to gague our reactions, then continud on, throwing each other around and acting like fools. Maybe it would be better to turn back and find another route, just to get away from such a painfully embarrassing moment. What had been funny a minute ago was now making me feel a mortifying embarrassment for them.

Lord Sesshomru had had enough as well. "Make way," he ordered in a low voice. With just two words he'd managed to be more threatening than these two boys with their entire act. Both boys were cowering in fear from the simple display. Slayer Hakkaku's voice was even shaking as he ordered us to go elsewhere. Ginta from the fires of Hell wasn't much better as he told us to move along.

I exhaled sharply through my nose when Lord Sesshomaru stepped forwards and slid off A-Un's saddle to intercept the demon before he could reach the other two. Playing mediator between Lord Sesshomaru, Master Jaken and Rin had become normal. It looked like now I was stepping up to playing mediator with Lord Sesshomaru and poor masochistic fools that thought it was a good idea to rile my Lord up.

"I told you to make way," Lord Sesshomaru spoke.

I followed behind him, speaking his name as I reached out to grasp the empty sleeve of his furisode. The two boys just stood talking to each other as I snagged Lord Sesshomaru's sleeve. Fools. "Please don't, Lord Sesshomaru. Really, they're not any danger to us and killing people for annoying you isn't a valid reason." I couldn't let him kill these two.

A new and vaguely familiar voice spoke out above us. "Somebody looking for me?" The boy's appearance was far more familiar than his voice. With an odd mixture of fur and armour, long black hair and shocking electric blue eyes, I could never forget that boy.

I stepped closer to Lord Sesshomaru, pressing myself up against his side as I stared up at the boy that had threatened to come back for me at the river by Rin's village. "It's him..." All this time the two boys worked for that boy? Maybe they were more dangerous than I thought, if they were in line with that boy.

Those brilliant blue eyes dropped to me without any recognition then slid up to Lord Sesshomaru's face. "Who are you? What do you want?" He jumped down from the ledge and settled his hands on his hips. I pressed closer to my Lord, looking for some form of comfort. "He reeks like that filthy mutt InuYasha." The boy knew Lord Sesshomaru's brother? Did everyone know each other here?

The boys moved behind Koga in the same way that Rin and I usually found ourselves behind Lord Sesshomaru or Master Jaken in the times we needed protection; using him as a shield as they whispered in his ear.

Behind us, I heard Rin's scared mutter. If my feet weren't frozen in place, I would have gone to her to give her some comfort.

Koga listened to the two whispering in his ear before addressing Lord Sesshomaru. "So you're InuYasha's brother? Huh. Except that you're not a half demon." InuYasha was a half demon? Against my side, Lord Sesshomaru shifted slightly. I could feel a faint vibration that I couldn't quite identify against my shoulder. Koga looked impressed with himself. "What's this? Looks like I struck a nerve!"

The boys looked terrified.

"Mio, go to Rin and stand back," Lord Sesshomaru ordered.

"No!" I replied immediately, twisting around to face him. I pressed my hand to his chestplate and stepped in front of him to stop him from moving. "Don't do it, Lord Sesshomaru, please." Koga terrified me, and I had been very stupid to turn my back to him, but I wasn't going to let him die.

"Mio." The order was sharp this time.

"No!" I repeated firmly, glaring up into his golden eyes. This close together, I had to crane my neck back to look at him, but I didn't back down. I couldn't let Lord Sesshomaru just go around killing people.

A violent chill passed through me just as Lord Sesshomaru's eyes cut to his right. I turned my head just in time to see a giant purple beast of a creature barrel from the tree-line, screaming about jewel shards. I hissed a sharp gasp and pressed against Lord Sesshomaru. I'd seen demons before, some similar to that one, but the sight never got old. It never stopped scaring me.

Master Jaken called out to us, but my mind was now focussed on Lord Sesshomaru's arm around my back, pressing me tightly to his chest. I was encompassed entirely by his incredible heat. With a grunt his arm left my back and his sword struck the demon, cutting it in two. I let out a shaky breath as I pulled away from Lord Sesshomaru.

The back of my foot brushed against fur and I flinched, reeling away from Koga and wincing as the aching in my foot started up with a passion. I limped back a few heavy steps until I was stood besides Lord Sesshomaru again. The wolf boy spared me an arched brow before turning his attention to Lord Sesshomaru. ""Thanks, but I could have handled him myself."

Rin's scream made me forget about the pain in my ankle and the fact that I was in touching distance of someone that had threatened me and sprint towards her.

"No humans for you, worm!"

I got to her just as Koga landed besides her. He'd killed the demon that had attacked Rin, with just a _kick._ How could a kick be powerful enough to kill a creature that big? I stared at the boy warily as I reached out to pull Rin from A-Un's back. She threw her arms around me and buried her face in my chest.

I watched Koga and the boys backs as they left, then limped slowly towards Master Jaken and Lord Sesshomaru, my arm wrapped around Rin's shoulders.

"Are you content with letting them go, my Lord?" the imp asked, his eyes on the wolf boys backs. "Those wolves of Koga's are the very ones that attacked young Rin and our Mio."

"If he tried the same thing today, I would have killed him," our Lord replied as I stopped at his side. "Naraku is the only one I'm concerned about now. Unneccessary conflicts don't interest me."

My eyes squeezed shut and I gave a low sigh as Lord Sesshomaru began to move again. "Rin, go fetch A-Un for me," I mumured to the girl. She nodded against my chest then pulled away to do as I'd asked. "Master Jaken?"

The imp looked up. "What is it, Mio?"

"Would he have really done it?" I turned my grey eyes to Lord Sesshomaru's back. "Killed Koga, that is. Would he have killed him if I hadn't stopped him?" I had a feeling I knew the answer. I just didn't want to believe it. I wasn't cut out for a world where resolving conflicts and defending people you cared about meant killing people. I was not a killer and I hated the thought of anyone I knew being a killer. Where I was from, I would have run from someone who had admitted to killing someone.

"Don't be stupid girl. You know the answer to that already." That was the answer I feared. "It's kill or be killed. You certainly can't live up to that yourself so Lord Sesshomaru has been gracious enough to take it on for you. You shouldn't look so upset over it. It's an insult to him!"

Kill or be killed...

Lord Sesshomaru's patience with a full-grown woman being useless couldn't last long. I'd been here for a while now; long enough to know that this world wasn't as kind to the gentle-hearted as Tokyo was. There were certain things that were done here that weren't done back in Tokyo. When enterting the countryside... I couldn't carry on being the way I was and expect to survive. Not with threats like Koga and those demons around every corner.

It was a dog eat dog world here.

And soon, I realised, I was going to have to start eating dogs if I truly wanted to survive.

I wasn't so sure my stomach could handle dog meat.

* * *

**Information time!**

**Tanuki - **Also known as the raccoon dog. They have very dark patches under their eyes and are truly beautiful looking animals.

**Uh - **In relation to English Language theory, it's considered a filler. Robin Lakoff, a linguist, suggested that filler words were used to show uncertainty and a lack of authority in speech. I was really really surprised when Sesshomaru used a filler in this episode. I have a theory for why he used uh here. He was contemplating going after the wolves, killing them, but recalled Rin. Rin, in all her perfect innocence, that looked up to him. He decided that Rin was more important than killing the wolves and had to get his mind around that when he addressed her. He was distractedby trying to stop himself, so he mindlesslyused the filler. Think that theory holds any stock?

**Dochuugi - **A three-quarter length kimono jacket used in the cold weather.

**When entering the countryside - **So, we're familiar with the phrase 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do', yes? The Japanese version of this phrase is: 'Entering the countryside, follow the custom thereof'.

**There are a few moments in this chapter where dialogue is modified to include Mio. I'm not going to bother listing dialogue changes now unless I have a good reason to expain why the change has occurred. Any changes made just to add Mio into the scene won't be recorded here. All right? Good.**

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**Review corner!**

**TheOphiliac - **Yes, they're quite awesome, aren't they? I'm a huge Alie in Wonderland fan (I have like fifteen different prints of both Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass sat on my bookcase - one that was printed in 1916) so the inclusion of the quotes were great. The only downside to the story is that I think it was discontinued. It's been a long while since it was updated. Through a very tedious process, I'm finding a few more Sesshomaru OC stories. (It's cool that I reunited you with the fic:'D ) I read a good one last night that updated recently: _The Seventh Circle _by _tyvian. _If I read any good Sessh fics over the next couple weeks, I'll write them down and let you know in these conversations. (Update! It's been like four days since I wrote this reply and I've read a couple more good fics since then. _Into The East _by _EarthToMe001. _It's been years since it was updated and there's not a whole lot of romance in it, but I did thoroughly enjoy it. Another good one is _Brothers In Arms _by _Sessy-Okugata. _The OC doesn't appear until chapter 17, I think, but its a good read that develops Sesshomaru and InuYasha's relationship well) Sesshomaru is learning to be somewhat compassionate! Dont hurt yourself screaming :p The coolest shit is being able to talk to my readers!Honestly, sometimes I feel a little disappointed because I only get two people talking to me on here regularly. I wish I had more awesome readers to talk to. Mio's someone that can be quite easily manipulated at times. Another one of her little flaws. Natually. People will be bleeding from their eyes once they've left the terrible clash of colours that will be my funeral. Pfft, I've got a feeling that some things coming up in the future may make you scream loudly. I'll warn you now not to read the next month's chapters when other people are sleeping. I got into a big groove and just wrote blindly and before I realised it was half way through episode eighteen. Uh chapter... Whatever. Being ableto disappear into another world in anime and manga is an amazing feeling. Thanks for the sentiment, but I'm British; we don't celebrate Thanksgiving here. I know I will. I can sit and read a volumeof manga in twenty minutes if I concetrate. Its sorta scary how quickly I can chew through them. Yeah, drinking will definitely bring a few new ideas that I may run with. We'll see. The real reason, unfortunately, won't be revealed for a long time. It doesn't actually involve Naraku much, but it certainly has something to do with Tenseiga. Im sure they will. Im used to bruises. These don't even hurt any more. I know what you mean! I'm 5'2, but I've only ever met like three people shorter than me. My friends like picking on the grumpy shortguy, too, so Im always at the butt of someones joke for being short (and now for being ginger, too, since I dyed my hair, how unfair is that?) Iff, no promises there. Me and my brother can spin on a dime. One secon we'll be loving (like we are at the moment) and the next we'll be real bastards to each other. I dont think that will ever change. I'm so glad! I always worry that I'm doing things wrongin that aspect. Im a very different type of person so I actually can't relate to that part of Mio. You'll see more Sesshomaru very development soon! Oh man, I haven't seen Courage in forever! I loved that cartoon. Space cowboy... I like that. I feel like I should be quoting Space Dandy now :'D Hmm... "Space Bee... Just a dandy Bee... In space!" Not quite as catchy, but it'll do. Health and happiness to you, too! See you next episode!

**Setsuna1986 - **Not a lot of people believe that. 'If you're perfect for someone then you don't argue. If you do argue then you're not meant to be!' No. Arguments and little toustles are sometimes the best things in relationships. Aww, don't make me blush! I'm so glad you like the realism in this fic. Now, that's not something I can answer without giving away one of the final plotpoints of the fic, so you can carry on wondering bout whether Mio will have a human lifespan or not. I do enjoy writing characters with personal strength (you should see the OC in the Deathnote fanfic I'm writing) but its a challenge and very interesting to write a character that has a different kind of strength about her. Godss, so would I. I'd love to have a nice long detailed conversation with a psychopath. I can't wait to get into developing that flaw, too. It'll be so fun! Yesss, Christmas chapters! I'm going to be putting a chapter up on Christmas, then one on Boxing Day as usual. I honestly think I don't like InuYasha too much because I'm personally a lot like him. Rude, crude and a total asshole to people until they're close friends. I find myself not liking characters that are too similar to me because I see all my flaws and ticks in them. I'm so glad! Because I find myself a lot like InuYasha, I find it difficult to write his character, because its too much like writing myself and I always worry that I'm using too many flaws (because I see myself in a negative light at times) or writing them too perfectly (because I never wanna see myself in a negative light). It's a vicious sort of process. Aye, very rational. I honestly think that's why he's so sharp with Rin throughout the anime and manga: because he knows she's going to dieway before he is, so he tries hard to not care about her so he doesn't feel loss when she dies. I have so many theories in InuYasha and I hopeto use a few of them in this fic if I get the chance. I did say that I had to add the I Spy bit because it fit perfectly right where it was. Did I make you saddd? :p I made myself sad when I wrote it. Modern parenting will definitely do Rin some good. They've all just got to get around how different the partening is in their cultures. I'm seriously excited to see more of Kohaku and Mio. I'm super excited to get to the point where Kohaku starts travelling with Sesshomaru's pack. It won't be as perfectly smooth as it is in the manga. Looking forward to future reviews!

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**There's a lot of canon in this chapter and I sorta feel like I've cheated you out of a decent chapter because of that. I promise the next chapter will have a lot more original content in it. I always feel I can do more with manga content and weave Mio into it better than I can with the anime. Next chapter is the Band of Seven arc! My favourite arc of the Inuyasha series. Yes, that may be because my favourite InuYasha character of all time is Bakotsu, but eh. I'm excited to get to this series and I'm super sad that I likely won't be including Bankotsu in this fic. It's a crime that Bankotsu and Sesshomaru never met. A ruddy crime! ****I'm going to be whining a lot over the next few chapters about how much I love Bankotsu and feel cheated about not including him in this fic. Be warned. And please, slap me if that gets annoying. I don't wanna piss any of you lovely people off with my whining down here.**

**Do you guys remember Yuna? She was the girl with Mio at the festival in the prologue chapter. She really doesn't have a big part in this fic, in fact she may not ever appear again, but she had a big enough part in Mio's life in the past to be mentioned a few times.**

**Have any of you noticed the change in how Mio sees Sesshomaru? I wanna know if you guys are paying close attention to what I write.**

**I did a very stupid thing today. I tried to watch InuYasha abridged. Bad decision. Very bad decision. I got through a whole two episodes before my brain melted to sludge and I gave up. Not as funny as YuGiOh or DBZ abridged.**

**I had far too much fun with Hakkaku and Ginta this chapter. I love those two so much, they're such funny little sweethearts, though I do sugger embarrassment for them in the highest degree. More than once in the past, I've had to pause the episode they're dicking around in and just sit there to let the mortification pass. Maybe someday I'll write a Koga fic just so I can play around with those two some more, and suffer more of their.**

**Mio's a good person with quite a high moral code. Even if Koga terrifies her, she'd never want him to die. She'd stand up for her worst enemy in a life-or-death situation, I'll bet. I love that about her. It's a character trait that I'll always admire.**

**Mio didn't break down crying after meeting Koga. She's slowly realising that she has to start toughening up. Dealing with all the trauma of the last fortnight of her life has made her a slightly stronger person now, though.**


	13. Scroll Twelve

**Back again! I finally found the time to write up a few chapters to keep on the boiler just in case something happens. If I keep going at this pace, I may get the fic finished before I even post half of it! I'm almost half way through the plot of Inuyasha now. Of course, when we get to the Final Act portion of the manga, we'll be getting more original content and development, 'cause there won't be any filler episodes or movies to leech from. Hope you guys are excited for some original content.**

**I really overestimated Lord Sesshomaru's involvement in the Band of Seven arc. I expected it to run over a fair few chapters. I actually had it running over two chapters until yesterday, but both chapters were incredibly short, so I thought it was just smarted to clump them together into a normal-sized chapter.**

**Thank you everyone that read the last chapter and thank you _AliceJr _for adding this fic to your alerts! Thank you _XxHeartMenderxX _and _Rachelnpink _for adding this to your favourites!**

**Onwards we go!**

* * *

**Kagome Kagome**

Scroll Twelve

* * *

The next few days I noticed a change in the way we travelled. Lord Sesshomaru didn't leave us and neither did Master Jaken. The six of us travelled through the day and well into the night, only pausing during the day for long enough for us to cram a quick meal down our throats, and only stopping when I couldn't keep my eyes open for long enough to keep Rin safely on A-Un. It wasn't a pleasant way to travel, but Lord Sesshomaru was cearly looking for something important, so I didn't make my thoughts known.

I wasn't the only one that noticed this new travelling tactic.

"Master Jaken, what's Lord Sesshomaru looking for?" Rin asked one morning after we'd played a few long rounds of I Spy.

"Naraku, of course!" the imp replied in a sharp tone, as if it was obvious that she should know. He looked back at us over his shoulder. I noticed now that he was speaking to me rather than Rin. "When Rin was kidnapped, our Lord grew very angry." Why was he telling me this, rather than Rin? She was the one asking him.

The way he said it was so pointed, that it had to have an underlying meaning to me.

My stomach dropped when I realised what it was.

Lord Sesshomaru wasn't looking for the monkey-pelt wearing man just to slap his wrist. He was going to kill him. Master Jaken was telling me straight that our Lord wasn't going to let this go. The sharp way he was looking at me when he said it was a warning to not try and stop it. "Our Lord is a proud being," Master Jaken continued after scolding Rin for being bigheaded. His next words assured me that I'd interpreted his warning right. "He may appear serene and composed, but when someone pulls a trick like that on him, he is most displeased."

Horror washed over Master Jaken's face when he bumped into the leg of said displeased being.

I winced when I heard the sound of flesh smacking flesh. "Lord Sesshomaru!" I scolded as Rin and I slipped from A-Un. Rin made a beeline to Master Jaken while I began towards Lord Sesshomaru. Even knowing that Lord Sesshomaru was searching out someone to kill them, I wasn't going to stop in my role as caretaker of the bunch of children that I travelled with. It was a role that I had taken on and would uphold, no matter the circumstances "Really, Lord Sesshomaru, you shouldn't hit him like that."

He gave the dog huff in response and I felt my lips tilt upwards slightly into an exasperated smile. It was the same reaction I got every time I scolded him for childish behaviour.

Relief coursed through me as I realised that I wasn't thinking anything negative towards the demon. It scared me that he was out for blood, and the possibility that that would change him in my mind scared me, too. But we both gave teh same reactions as usual, as if those reactions were as easy as breathing.

For now, Lord Sesshomaru was still the same strong protector I knew.

The two of us walked side-by-side in a pleasant silence for a while as Master Jaken pulled a Rin-carrying A-Un to try and catch up with us.

The man besides me muttered.

"Hmm?" My grey eyes flickered up to him questioningly.

"I smell poison. Continue travelling. I shall return soon."

"Come back to us safe, Lord Sesshomaru." He gave me a small nod before breaking away and disappearing into the tree-line in an effortless sprint.

"Where's Lord Sesshomaru going?" Master Jaken asked as he caught up with me.

I took the time to pet both A and Un and settle myself behind Rin on their saddle before answering. "He said he smelled poison, so he went to check it out." I buried my fingers in Rin's hair, combing through the tangled mess gently. "He said we should carry on travelling. He'll find us again when he's done."

* * *

We travelled at a much calmer pace without Lord Sesshomaru leading us, and settled for a break and a decent evening meal.

I untacked A-Un, claiming that even they needed a break from time to time when master Jaken demanded to know what I was doing. In the time that I had known the poor dragon, I'd only seen them without tack a few times.

They enjoyed the freedom, rolling around happily in the long grass, reminding me of a happy puppy, granted far less graceful than any dog I had ever seen as their heads banged together mid-roll. I laughed heartily at the two of them as the five of us settled down to rest for a while. We would get to our evening meal after we'd regained some energy. Constantly travelling took a surprising amount of energy out of you, even if you were sat on the back of a mount for the majority of said travelling.

"Master Jaken, Lord Sesshomaru is late, isn't he?" Rin heaved a sigh and swung her feet idly over the branch she was sat on. "I should have gone with him."

"Fool," the imp declared with a snort. "Lord Sesshomaru went someplace poisonous. If you'd gone with him, you wouldn't have lasted a minute."

I nodded along with the imp. "He's right, Rin. Lord Sesshomaru is a strong man. He can look after himself out there. The best thing we can do is to follow his orders and wait for him to get back. I'm sure he won't be much longer now. We're always together by sunset."

Rin fell silent for a long while.

"What's the matter, Rin?" Master Jaken asked when the silence got too much for him.

"Oh...nothing," she mumbled. I had a feeling she was missing Lord Sesshomaru. I pat her back gently as we fell once again into silence.

A short time later a flash of white in my peripheral vision had me turning my head. A bright smile took over my features. "There he is. Why don't you go on and greet him? Master Jaken and I will get dinner sorted for us." I knew with Lord Sesshomaru back, we wouldn't have the chance to have breaks. We'd be back to his military operation; work, inhale food then work some more, until we dropped.

Lord Sesshomaru approached Master Jaken and I as we began divvying out nuts and berries that we'd collected in our miniscule breaks. Keeping foods like this on us allowed for us to eat quickly and easily. It was ideal for this sort of travelling.

"We travel in the direction of the oxen tiger once you've eaten."

"Yes, Lord Se-" I paused in my speech as I raised my head from the berries I was sorting into three piles. "You're all wet," I stated needlessly. Lord Sesshomaru was soaked trough. His silver hair was plastered to his skull and back; his silk clothing was clinging to his body, showing off his powerful shoulders and impressively muscled thighs quite well with the see through white material; the cream-coloured fur over his shoulder was saturated and clumped together. The only thing that didn't seem dripping wet was his armour. Had he just jumped into a river?

"I was covered in a poison deadly to the likes of you," he explained simply. "Eat."

"Ah, yes, my Lord. Rin, come get some food."

I watched Lord Sesshomaru out of the corner of my eye as he moved towards A-Un. '_What a shame_,' I found myself thinking as my eyes strayed from his shoulders to settle on the armour protecting his back. I bit my lip and forcefully returned myself to my task. I was missing male company wholly too much if I was looking to Lord Sesshomaru with my lustful eyes. Maybe I should follow my Lord's suit and dunk myself in a cold river. It had to be this place's equivalent to a cold shower.

I giggled to myself as I popped a sweet berry in my mouth.

My eyes gravitated back towards Lord Sesshomaru, watching as he retacked an unimpressed A-Un. Lord Sesshomaru was the sort of man that silently encouraged Master Jaken, Rin and I to care for ourselves as much as we could with little things, like gathering our own food and starting our own fires. As such, he didn't often help out around camp. None of us complained about this, all for our own reasons. Master Jaken had served under Lord Sesshomaru for, as he'd told the wolf boys, many centuries, so he had ample time to get used to the way thinsg worked. Rin had lived her life caring for herself so was used to doing it all herself anyway. I enjoyed the chance to learn and be independent.

Lord Sesshomaru helped us in other ways. He protected us from demons when Master Jaken couldn't. He made sure we had the necessities we needed, like the dochuugi's I'd asked him for. And occasionally, like right now, he did things that the rest of us would struggle with. A-Un's saddle was heavy. I'd just managed to untack them safely myself. Hoisting the large saddle back onto them would have been quite a difficult task for me to do.

"Thank you," I called out to him as he ran a clawed hand down Un's neck slowly. His golden eyes found mine for a long moment before he turned away.

* * *

"Goodness," I breathed, staring up at the mountain that we'd been led to the base of. Lord Sesshomaru ordered us to wait here while he scouted around the base. Rin echoed my sentiment.

A loud thud behind us had us both spinning around. A-Un and Master Jaken were both on the ground, looking exausted and in a great deal of pain. The sudden onslaught of that pain worried me. They'd both been okay just a few minutes ago. I dropped to one knee besides Master Jaken and laid a gentle hand atop his head. "Master Jaken...?"

Behind me, Rin asked if he was okay.

The imp moaned. "This mountain is a holy sanctuary!" Holy sanctuary? What did that mean? "A concretion of demons like Naraku could never survive in a place like this..."

Demons? Was this a place that demons couldn't go? My eyes returned to the mountain with a new-found awe. Was there really such a place that wouldn't allow entry to demons? Fascinating. "Master Jaken, if you and A-Un are this sick, will Lord Sesshomaru be as ill, too?" I could care for Master Jaken and A-Un right now, but Lord Sesshomaru was off alone. I knew he could care for himself, but I was still worried.

"Lord Sesshomaru is stronger than I," Master Jaken assured.

Sick as he was, he was still trying to reassure me. I smiled down at him softly as I stroked the his head. "Thank you, Master Jaken." I looked up to the mountain. As awed as I was over the beautiful sight, I didn't want to stay here if it was harming Master Jaken and A-Un. The three of them didn't deserve to suffer being in this place. "I hope Lord Sesshomaru finds what he needs here quickly so we can leave."

I alternated between caring for Master Jaken and A-Un as we waited for Lord Sesshomaru's return.

It was during a changeover of caring that a ruckus disturbed us. As I moved from Master Jaken over to A-Un to see how the dragon was faring, I heard Master Jaken yell out to Rin.

When I turned, the little girl was running towards the mountain. "Rin!" I yelled out, sharp and truly angry at her for the first time. She ignored me. "That girl! I'll go fetch her, Master Jaken."

I strode forwards with determined steps. I'd never understood how even the kindest of people could get angry at children. Years ago, I had been determined to treat any children I had with nothing but love. The thought of getting angry at a child was affronting. Who could ever get angry at such an innocent creature as a child?

I understood it now.

How could Rin think it was okay to run off? This was twice now she'd run off after her kidnapping. Didn't the girl know how scared we were when she did that?

"Rin!" I called after her as she ran into a cave. Once again I was ignored. I huffed angrily as I followed after her. That child was- I cut myself off before I could even mentally name that comment. It was a comment in poor taste and I wouldn't entertain it. "Rin! You can't keep running... off..." Fear clogged my throat as I stared into the eyes of a hoard for demons crawling over each other further down in the cave.

"Walk back out," came a voice. "Slowly." Stood besides my Rin was the boy that had been stood over her with that wicked weapon when she had been kidnapped. I could see the kusarigama tucked into the back of his sash. His brown eyes met mine for a moment before falling away in shame. "Before they notice you."

Rin clutched to the back of his sash. "K-Kohaku...?"

"Go back, Rin! They'll tear you both to pieces!"

Rin's infinite kindness shone through when she questioned his own safety.

Kohaku gave a heavy, annoyed sigh. "They won't attack me. Now go!" he yelled. His eyes found mine again. "Get her our of her safely. Now."

I didn't trust the boy, but the demons were inching closer and I was itching to get back to Master Jaken and A-Un. "Rin, come on," I urged, limping backwards towards the mouth of the cave, reaching out for her. I kept my eyes on the beasts crawling closer to her as I moved backwards slowly. We were so close. One too-fast movement and we could be killed. "Let's get back to Master Jaken."

Nausea rolled my stomach.

"Y-Yes," the girl stuttered, following after me.

We emerged from the cave safe and began back towards Master Jaken. I noticed the tall white figure in the mist before I found Master Jaken or A-Un. Lord Sesshomaru had returned. Rin noticed him, too, and darted towards him with a girn on her face. "Lord Sesshomaru!"

Her running off again irked me, even if she was running to Lord Sesshomaru where she was safe.

By the time I got to the group everything was silent. Lord Sesshomaru was glaring up at the mountain while Rin and Master Jaken were staring at our Lord.

"What was that?!" I yelled, gesturing back towards the cave we'd emerged from. All eyes turned to me. "You can't run off like that, Rin!"

"Mio," Master Jaken broached, but I threw an arm out in his direction, cutting him off.

"No! No, she needs to hear this. It's dangerous out there, Rin! You've already been kidnapped before. That boy has already tried to kill you, yet you keep running off like you believe that you're exempt from the danger that preys on everyone here!" Her big eyes began to water as I yelled at her, but I persisted. If she didn't hear this, then she wouldn't learn. "This place is dangerous. There are bandits and demons around every corner and they're all going to want to hurt you, Rin! Every time you run off, you risk bumping into something that could very well kill you. You've been so lucky so far. I saved you from the wolves, Lord Sesshomaru saved you from that boy, _he _just saved you from those demons. What if next time you're not that lucky? What if next time you die before anyone can get to you? I would never forgive you for it!"

I inhaled deeply and stared hard at the girl for a long moment before turning and walking away. "We're leaving," I announced, stooping down to grab A-Un's reigns. The dragon followed after me obediently, not even uttering a breath too loudly. "I can't stand to stay here anymore."

My completely out of order demand was taken well, surprisingly. Everyone began to follow me without comment or complaint.

Lord Sesshomaru drew level with me as we walked at my brusque pace. "You're crying again," he pointed out.

"Yes, I know." I sniffed and wiped my eyes with the yellow and pink sleeve of my kosode.

* * *

Soon we found ourselves at an old wooden bridge that I really didn't trust. I eyed it warily as I held to A-Un's reigns. Lord Sesshomaru ddin't expect us to cross that, did he? It was just made out of wood and rope.

Lord Sesshomaru had taken over leading us after a short while and in silence the six of us walked. The silence between us all was tense and I felt guilt swarm me. I was the reason everything was so tense right now. I shouldn't have yelled at Rin like that. It wasn't my place.

I hazarded a peek over the edge of the cliff and bit my lip as I backtracked a little, putting myself safely back on solid ground.

A feeling that was quickly becoming familiar to me overtook me and I wheeled around to say something to Lord Sesshomaru, rubbing the raised hairs on my arm, just in time to watch Lord Sesshomaru deflect the strangest blade I had ever seen. The strange hair-raising feeling was starting to remind me of a gut instinct; like my body was telling my mind that something dangerous was on its way and I needed to watch out. The presence of the oddblade told me that I was right.

From the bush the blade emerged from, a person appeared.

The first thing I noticed were the blue tattoos on her face. No, not a woman. That voice was too masculine to be a womans, and the shoulders too broad and muscled.

A fight erupted between the two of them and from our place at the sidelines, we watched. Well, Rin and I watched. Master Jaken jeered. "Stupid mortal! Just stand still and accept your death!" It didn't look like the man would be accepting his death. He and Lord Sesshomaru looked quite well matched fighting at the moment. The young man's movements were far less graceful, mind, but neither of them had managed to land a proper hit on each other.

The three of us shreiked when the strange blade came towards us, stumbling backwards to avoid it. It tore through the ground an inch from my toes.

"Did you say something?" the man asked, sword raised above his head in a cruel threat.

"Jaken," Lord Sesshomaru snapped, coming to our rescue with an attack from behind.

"Y-yes, my Lord," Jaken replied jumping to his feet and pushing at the back of my leg to get me moving. "Let's get out of here."

I realised with great distaste that we were heading towards the bridge. "B-But-"

"We'll just get in Lord Sesshomaru's way," Master Jaken insisted.

I resigned myself to stepping hesitantly onto the wood. I clung to the rope as I inched along behind Rin and Master Jaken who were running across the wood. They were much more brave that I was. My eyes turned over my shoulder to watch the battle between Lord Sesshomaru and the tattooed young man. I hoped Lord Sesshomaru wouldn't kill the man.

The rope gave way under my tight grasp and I gasped in fright as I fell backwards, landing hard on my backside.

In front of me, a hot fire blazed, eating away at the wood and rope. No! What was Master Jaken doing? The bridge would never hold up being burned like it was.

I threw myself forwards as a hand punched through the wood from underneath and sent Rin flying towards the edge of the bridge. My hand found the collar of her kosode and yanked her towards me, wrapping my arms around her tightly as I could as the bridge gave way beneath us.

My eyes locked with the feral gaze of a tattooed man reaching out to Rin and I was we fell.

A scream tore from my throat.

* * *

My body was moving.

I was swaying.

There was water around me.

Cold.

Every part of me was cold bar a tiny pinprick of warmth seeping into my chest.

I moaned softly as my hand moved up to my aching head. I'd bumped far too many times recently. I was starting to get worried about giving myself any permanent damage as I went through the motions of figuring out how I got here. We'd fallen from the bridge. Rin and I had been separated in the fall and I'd blacked out when I fell into the river below.

I wasn't moving too much, just swaying in the current, so I must have been caught in some pond weed or something further down the river.

"After seeing Jaken playing dead, I didn't expect to find you playing the same game, Mio."

My heavy eyelinds cracked open. The light blinded me for a moment before I adjusted. Surrounding me were trees. We weren't in the mountains any more. I tilted my head to the left and blinked sluggishly as I gazed up at the man standing on the bank. His visage blurred and split into two before I squeezed my eyes shut.

"I think I have a concussion," I groaned. It couldn't be too bad; I wasn't feeling physically sick and my memory was perfectly intact. The only trouble I was having right now was with my vision. My eyes flickered open again and I reached for the bank. It took two tries for my hand to find the dirt.

A burning hand grasped the shoulder of my kosode and yanked me out of the water. The sudden movement left me feeling light-headed and dizzy. I slumped against the cold surface of Lord Sesshomaru's chestplate. "I'm delicate at the moment," I mumbled, trying to find my feet. "You have to be careful. Is Rin okay?"

"You were my first point of call."

I inhaled sharply and the palm of my hand struck the demon's chestplate with enough force to leave my hand stinging. Delicate could wait. "You didn't search for Rin first? What could possess you to put me before her? You have to go and find her!"

His golden eyes disappeared behind pink-steaked eyelids in a languid blink before the demon crouched slightly. His arm banded around my thighs as his fur-covered shoulder pressed into my stomach. When he straightened out, he hoisted me up so I was slung over his shoulder. I yelped and fisted my hands in the fur that was cushioning my stomach.

Upside down now, the dizzy feeling returned full-force and I groaned, burying my face in the fur. I'd touched his fur a few times in the past, but never really paid much attention to it. Now, with my face buried in it, and my mind not focussing on anything but what was right in front of me, I realised that it wasn't as soft as I always imagined it to be. It looked plush from a distance and I'd always imagined that it would feel fine and soft like cat hair. It was more coarse than that; thick and almost greasy feeling, like a dog's coat. It was warm, too, and firm. It didn't feel like a pelt, at all. More like a tail, like there was muscle and bone under the skin and thick fur.

Did demons have tails?

"I will allow that assault as I'm feeling manganimous towards you in light of your injury. I won't be so lenient next time, Mio." There was a beat of silence as he began to walk. "You will stay with A-Un while I retreive Rin."

"I do that a lot," I breathed. "Stay with A-Un..." I was pleased to stay away from the battle field mostly. I wasn't a person built for a battlefield. I would rather stay out of fights and danger. But a part of me was sore every time I was left behind. A part of me felt useless even though I knew that there was nothing I could do on a battlefield at the moment. "I think I should learn to fight. Or at least defend myself and Rin."

There was a long silence before my mumbling got an answer. "Say so when your mind is clear again and we will converse further."

* * *

"Master Jaken, please, I have a splitting headache and your voice isn't helping." I rubbed my forehead gently. Lord Sesshomaru had left me with A-Un and Master Jaken and left. In that time Master Jaken had hardly stoppped his unhappy ranting. I would usually have tried to ease his worried somewhat, but my head was pounding and I could hardly stand thinking, let alone speaking right now.

"Your head still hurts, Mio?" His voice grew concerned and, thankfully, quieter. "That is a long time for an ache like that to persist. Are you sure you're well?"

I tried at a reassuring smile. "It's a concussion." I was sure of it now. "The headaches may stay around for a couple of days before they ease off." I had a bit of experience with concussion-induced headaches and was certain that, while they were brutal now, they wouldn't cause much trouble in the days to come. "We'll all just have to try to be a bit quieter the next few days."

I knew before I even said it that what I was asking for was an impossibility. Our camp had no idea how to be quiet if it would save our lives. I expected nothing less from a hyperactive eight year old, an imp that used his voice rather than his countenance to be understood and a school teacher that spent her life raising her voice to gain the attention of unwilling teenagers.

My thoughts were confirmed by a loud call of Master Jaken's name.

A little grunt of pain left me as I raised my head. Running towards us was a visage that would have been truly wonderful if it didnt have terrible connotations of a loud, excited and happy voice. I wondered if curling up into a ball and covering my ears would do anything to help my poor head?

Not likely.

"Rin, you stupid girl!" Master Jaken squawked. "You must be quiet. Mio is in pain!" I admired his wish to help, but his voice truly tortured me more than Rin could manage.

They fell into whispers for a long while and I was thankful for the sudden change in volume.

"Lady Mio?" came a hesitant voice as dirty toes came into my field of vision. My gaze flickered up to the sad expression Rin was sporting. Her big brown eyes were filled with tears. "I'm sorry I worried you and I'm sorry I ran away and I promise I'lll never do it again! Please forgive me, Lady Mio!"

"Rin, honey, come here." I opened my arms to her and she dropped to her knees and fell into them, eagerly accepting my embrace. "I won't apologise for yelling at you, because you truly deserved it, but I forgive you." I felt guilty and felt like it wasn't my place, but those words needed to be said. "Of course I forgive you." I carefully pulled her head from my collarbone and cupped her cheeks. A smile curled my lips. "And, for as long as my eyes are black, I will never believe you when you say you won't run off again. Just take A-Un or some other form of protection with you when you do go from now on."

I patted her cheek and kissed her forehead, then pushed myself to stand. "Come on, let's get ourself some food cooking. I bet you're just as hungry as I am after such a day."

* * *

The camp was quiet.

My shoulders slumped and I stifled another yawn into my hand.

"If you are tired," spoke Lord Sesshomaru from his place up on high, perched on a large boulder that overlooked our small camp, "then you must sleep."

I shook my head as I looked up at him. "Not tonight." If I were back where I came from, I'd likely be under Saburo's watchful eye now. It had been hours since I'd hit my head and the headaches were still strong. "After the bump on my head earier, it's best if I don't sleep tonight."

He didn't answer that, but he didn't insist that I sleep again.

It must have been close to sunrise when I raised my head to him again. "Lord Sesshomaru?"

"What is it?"

"I'm sorry, for today at the river. It was out of line to hit you like that." I felt mortified that I had. Lord Sesshomaru hadn't deserved my temper. He'd come to save me after that fall and I'd yelled at him and hit him.

"I've allowed it to pass. There's no sense dwelling on what is forgiven and forgotten."

To be forgiven for hitting him definitely lifted a weight from my shoulders. I hadn't wanted one of my protectors being angry at me weighing me down. "Thank you for your kindness."

"Kindness," he repeated quietly, as if he couldn't believe that I'd use a word like that to describe him.

I chewed on the inside of my lip as my gaze turned to the dying embers of the fire. "Lord Sesshomaru...?" A memory of the feminine man at the cliff flashed before my eyes. I chewed harder on my lip. "Did you-" I cut myself off before I could ask the question.

_Did you kill him?_

Lord Sesshomaru very well could have killed him. He'd fought with him and had been fighting when the bridge had collapsed beneath us. Had he abandoned the fight to find us, or had he killed the man? The questions came unbidden to my mind and the curiosity ate at me, but I couldn't bring myself to ask the question.

What would knowing the answer achieve?

Nothing would change the past. If Lord Sesshomaru had killed the man, then he had killed him.

Master Jaken had warned me that I wouldn't be able to stop Lord Sesshomaru from killing those who opposed him. I'd already established that this place was a dog eat dog world. Sometimes here you had to kill to survive and Lord Sesshomaru was the sort of man that could do that; kill to survive. That was something I had to accept.

My toes curled in the dirt beneath them.

"Nevermind," I murmured.

An answer wouldn't change the past. I was better off not knowing.

* * *

I yawned as I nuzzled into A's mane. I'd managed to stay awake all night, but I was suffering because of it. I'd most definitely outgrown my university days, that was for sure. I had never felt so much of an old woman as I did now, trying to settle in for a nap with my arms wrapped around A's neck like he was an overgrown scaly teddy-bear.

A loud noise made me my head throb and I buried my face into the coarse fur I'd been using as a pillow.

Master Jaken's screech had me gritting my teeth and clenching my eyes shut.

Even Lord Sesshomaru's quiet voice telling Master Jaken to head back down the mountain in his absence had my head throbbing.

I hoped these headaches faded quickly. They were unbearable.

* * *

**Information time!**

**Oxen tiger - **As mentioned before, directions were taken from the twelve Zodiac constellations. Rooster was west in and older chapter, so Ox Tiger is North East.

**Concussion - **Mio certainly does have a concussion in this chapter. Concussions are characterised by a few symptoms. The ones that Mio show are, in no particular order: dizziness, confusion, headaches, vision troubles and behavioural changes. People with concussions can have major swings in their usual behaviour. This can be seen with Mio lashing out and smacking Sesshomaru.

**For as long as my eyes are black - **It's a Japanese expression, that pretty much means 'for as long as I'm alive.' If any of you have noticed my big obsession with Shonen Jump and the odd comments I've made here and there you'll know that I am a dire fan of Naruto. I first encountered this phrase while reading Naruto, and I decided to use this phrase as a Naruto cameo.

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**Review corner!**

**The Opheliac - **I do have _quite_ a few books. I've just bought three more yesterday and have five more on top of that coming in the mail. Try and guess how many books I actually own (Hint: its a lot). It makes me sad, too. Especially when I really get into it and I'm itching to read the next chapter and I don't realise it's abandoned, and I'm just about to press the next button, all excited to read what happens next when...there's no...next...button... cry. I've done that so many times. I'll certainly make sure to drop in any more decent Sesshomaru fics I read here for you. Yesss tacky and colourful can be beautiful. I own this really terrible shirt called a 'shite shirt' (that's the actual brand name!) and it's the embodiment of tacky and colourful. I love that shirt. One of my friends threatened to burn the shirt, and me wearing it, to a crisp if I ever wore it around her again. AHAHNO! Being British really isn't as fun and romantic as the Americans make it seem, I'm sorry to burst your bubble. I'm pretty much in the same place as you: I wanna be away from this place. It's not the nicest place to be. Actually not a lot of people bothered with black friday where I live. All the ladies at the hairdressers I was at were tittering about how stupid it was while I was getting my hair bleached. I honestly didn't care for black friday except for one place. The comic book store in my town was doing five comis for £1 (which is about $1.50) so I had to run down there and buy out their Nightwing collection. But maybe black friday was bigger in bigger places in the country? I live in a fairly small town so we don't get a lot of the stuff bigger cities get. I just love communicating with fans. Pfft, I'm gonna take you at your word there. f I dont get more fans talking to me down here by the end of the fic, I'm gonna shun you :p Mio's definitely at risk of caring too much. She even cared about Koga. Oh god, I haven't watched DHMIS in so long. I haven't seen the last couple of episodes. I might need to make some time to watch it. I'm chewing my way through a really good book at the moment. I'm about half way through it and I've only been reading it for maybe three days. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. Incredible book. Can't wait to start reading the sequel. Oh, I KNEW I liked you! Courage and now Rocky Horror. I'm keeping you. Forget that threat about shunning you. I can't shun someone that likes such awesome stuff. I'm unfortunately not super face. I'm at a total downfall. Damn these lungs. Ehh, its fine. The hospital has given me worse bruises and I've been absolutely fine after they've healed up. Apparently me and my brother get that trait from my mom and her little brother. They were evil to each other. At least me and my little brother have our moments of being nice. We've actually been really good to each other recently. I've enjoyed sat playing Pokemon and Animal Crossing with him a lot over the past week or two. I'm so glad I nailed it! Yes, yes, Sesshomaru development! There'll be lots more of that in the upcoming chapters. The chapters over Christmas and into the new year are BIG chapters for that. I only watched the first season of Space Dandy then found myself distracted by Dragon Ball . It's actually made by the creators of Cowboy Bebop. I haven't watched CB yet. I need to get into it. It's supposed to be the best dubbed anime in history. Ayee, that quote's from Space Dandy. "Space Dandy. He's just a dandy guy...in space." I'd certainly recommend it. The bit I watched of Space Dandy is good. I think I drew Dandy when I was big into watching it. Health and happiness to you, too! See ya next episode!

**Setsuna1986 - **Nah, man. I've always hated that phrase. I would never be able to get on with my opposite. I wouldn't know what the hell to do with them. You have to have quite a big level of similarity to get on with someone. You'll see what happens in the future! I totally agree with you though. Humans are alarmingly fragile. I hate fics where the OC pisses me off. There was one particular fic where I loathed the OC. Could not stand her. But it was one of the handful of OC pairing fics with that one canon character up here on FFN so I just attempted to power through it, and by the end of the fic I adored the OC. She'd gone through so much development an it was absolutely beautiful. I still hate the OC in the beginning when I read that fic, but its by far one of my favourite fics on FFN now. Im hoping that the more I immerse myself in the series, the easier it'll become to write the characters. I'll just have to spend every waking moment reading InuYasha until I've got all the characters down pat. Jaken has a lot of admiration for Sesshomaru and I honestly do think that some of it's misplaced. I think that Jaken chooses to see the good and endure the bad in his relationship with Sesshomaru. Its a very common thing in relationships; specially abusive ones. Though there is respect on both sides that does lay a pretty good relationship out between them. Im gonna stop analysing that relationship before I drive myself nuts! We'll both burst with feels. There are gonna be a lot of feels in the next couple of chapters. The Woman Who Loved Sesshomaru and Swords of an Honourable Ruler are very big plotpoints in this fic. Many feels. I completely agree with you! If you're always happy, you can't appreciate happiness the way you can if you've suffered before. Knwing sadness leads you to know greater happiness. Pfft, well, it's true. She's surrounded by overgrown children. Grumpy child-imp, actual child, and sulky man-child. They're all children. I was pissing myself when I was writing Hakkaku and Ginta. I adore those two so much and they're such a breath of fresh air with their adorableness. This fic was seriously lacking in adorable naive characters until those two blundered in. Yessss, that scene was cute. I loved the thought of Mio held close to Sesshomaru like that while he's protecting her. I think I'm going to disappoint you somewhat here, but it'll still be a fair while before Mio accepts that she needs to learn to fight. She's made a little development in this chapter, in the fact that she doesn't fight to keep Sesshomaru from killing Jakotsu and doesn't ask about Jakotsu later, but she has a long way to go. She won't learn to fight for a long while yet. She's still resisting the darkness the feudal era presents. I don't think Mio will ever be someone you could call a predator, though. She's just too soft-hearted for that.

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**I would have liked to use the anime version of the first scene, because I think Jaken's words in that scene would have warranted a whack more than his comment in the manga, but in the end I decided to keep to the manga to show off our Lords wonderfully childish personality.**

**Some good Sesshomaru-perving going on in this chapter. Mio is human! She's sweet and kind, but she's a twenty six year old woman that hasn't been around any good male company in weeks. If you were paying very close attention, you would have noticed something in the flashbacks of her death a few chapters ago that really solidified the fact that our Mio isn't a sweet, innocent virgin. She's a woman that misses sex. And honestly, who wouldn't look at Sesshomaru's incredible version of a wet T-shirt competition? I'm certainly not that strong of a man, and we already know that Mio isn't the strongest woman around.**

**I really think that Sesshomaru would have just dunked himself in a river until he couldn't smell poison any more then been on his way. Sesshomaru seems like a man that likes effficiency and quick ways of doing things. Whats more efficient and quick at cleaning poison from your skin and clothes than just dunking yourself in a river? It definitely takes less time than stripping and scrubbing down all your clothes.**

**I don't like the representation that Sesshomaru does nothing around camp that I see a lot of the time. Lord Sesshomaru isn't a lazy person. I don't see him as the type to not help out at all. Yes, I've written him reclining under a tree just watching a few times in this fic myself, but that isn't all he does. I see Sesshomaru doing a fair amount for his pack and wanted to use that. A-Un has belonged to Sesshomaru for a long time. Tacking and untacking them would be something that he would have had to do countless times in the past, as Jaken doesnt have the ability to do it safely. So we get to see him doing mundane things rather than standing around acting noble at all times.**

**We see Mio truly angry! Bet you guys thought she couldn't yell at someone she cared about.**

**So Mio's finally cottoning onto the sixth sense she has. Had any of you noticed the reoccurance of that feeling she's been getting right before she meets something not quite human?**

**No Bankotsu. Can we have a moment to mourn here? I feel wrong writing an InuYasha fic without my favourite character in it.**

**I realised while I was writing Mio interacting with A-Un this chapter that I seemed to favour writing about Un interacting with Mio and that, as far as I remember, I hadn't written anything about just A. I think that may be because when I write, I picture the scene playing out like an episode of anime and Mio seems to always be placed on the right side of the screen. Un is the head to the right so he's always closer to Mio and it just happens that he's the one that gets talked about because of that. I made a conscious effort to use A in this scene, though, because I dont want him to feel left out.**


	14. Scroll Thirteen

**So I've been watching Final Act through again to get a - gasp! - plan together for Mio's big involvement in the second half of the series and watching Towards Tomorrow has me so pumped to get to a certain part of this fic. I'm so excited to carry on!**

**This chapter is the first all-original-content chapter since the very beginning of this fic.**

**Thank you to everyone that read the last chapter and thank you _aki-blood-dark-princess_ for adding this fic to both your favourites and alerts. I really appreciate it!**

* * *

**Warning!** There is nakedness in this chapter, though it isn't of a sexual nature.

* * *

**Kagome Kagome**

Chapter Thirteen

* * *

"Lady Mio, look! This is the best one yet!"

My eyes cracked open and I turned my head in the pleasantly cool grass to look up at the girl. Grass ticked at my cheek. Rin sat in the long grass not far from my own relaxed form, braiding flowers together like I had shown her, to make a flower crown fit for a king. She'd been trying all morning while Master Jaken and I had both decided that the mid-morning sun was the perfect temptation for a morning nap. Evey now and then I'd been woken from my light doze to see her latest works.

This one was indeed the best so far, made of alternating white and pale pink flowers. "It looks wonderful, Rin."

She rose from her seat and skipped towards me, holding out the crown. "Sit up so I can put it on, Lady Mio!" I did as bid without a fight. As Rin placed the crown on my head, she gasped loudly. "Your hair is changing colour."

"Hmm? Oh," I realised after a moment. I'd grown so comfortable here that I hadn't actually paid mind to my hair. I'd not even taken a comb to it, let alone any products. How long had it been since I'd had hairdye at my disposal? A month? Maybe more? My natural black roots must have started showing through. I raised my hand to my poor mockery of a bird's nest. "My hair is actually similar to your colour, Rin. Where I come from, though, some people change their hair colour with a special liquid. Travelling like this, I haven't been able to do that." That was an adequate enough description of hair dye, wasn't it?

"Ohh," she replied, letting her fingers touch the undyed hair atop my head. "Will you do it again? The light colour is very pretty. Can you do it to my hair, too?! I would very much like to have such a pretty hair colour, Lady Mio."

"Rin!" My gasp sounded more scandalised than I anticipated it being. "Why would you want to dye such beautiful hair?" Her hair was greasy and clumped together, like all hair seemed to be here, but I'd grown used to that and saw the beauty beyond my previous superficial sight. I ran my fingers through her long hair, and bought the tips up to tickle just under her chin. She giggled at the feeling. "It would be a crime to change such a gorgeous black. Mine was much more dull than yours. But, I won't be dying my hair again and neither will you." My arms wrapped around the girl and pulled her, giggling, into my lap. "And we'll be the black haired beauty and her equally black haired guardian."

A small stone pelted my arm and I looked up into the tired, grumpy eyes of Master Jaken.

Giggling, I apologised for waking him. He was about to come back with a, no doubt, rude response when a stone bounced off his skull.

"Lord Sesshomaru," I scolded immediately, before I even turned my head to the demon man emerging from the trees.

Said Lord gave me an impassive glance, but paused in his step. One, I realised with a frown, that was just about to land on Master Jaken's head. The dog huff sounded from him as he walked around Master Jaken and settled at the base of a tree.

I shook my head slowly. "Rin, fetch a basket from A-Un's pack and we can go foraging. It's such a lovely day that we should take advantage of it, don't you think?" I wanted to get as much foraging in now before it got too cold. We were moving very quickly towards winter and it was getting more difficult to find edible food in the woods. I was hoping that we could gather as much as we could and try to stockpile it. It would likely go bad before winter was through, but to have something saved in case we couldn't find anything fresh was a smart idea.

Rin gave a nod and skipped off to fetch the basket as I bought myself to my feet.

"Jaken, go with them," ordered Lord Sesshomaru.

Before the tiredimp could comment, I began shaking my head. "No, no, he doesn't have to. Rin and I won't be going far. We'll just be a stone's throw from here." I didn't intend to go far enough to need a protector following me. With all the recent action, I wanted to stay close enough to camp that if trouble did arise, Rin could run back quickly.

Sharp golden eyes cut to mine. "Jaken." He held my gaze as he spoke, challenging me to go against him again. His gaze was intense and it didn't take long for my eyes flickered down to the ground. "Go with them."

There were no more arguments on the subject.

* * *

I carefully placed my flower crown just out of rolling-over reach that night and curled around an already sleeping Rin and Master Jaken. My arm slid over the little girl's waist and my hand fisted in the thick brown hemp of Master Jaken's clothing.

Hair tickled my nose and a scaly hand rested on my scarred wrist.

Sleep came easy that night.

* * *

I squealed when a wave of cold water engulfed my body. "Rin!"

My squeal got a truly unexpected reaction. From the grassy hill that our camp stood atop appeared Lord Sesshomaru, weilding his wicked sword. Even from this distance, I could tell those bright eyes were on me, and I just stared up at him dumbly, water from Rin's attack rolling down over the curves of my body.

Rin squealed Lord Sesshomaru's name and dunked under the water in an act of modesty that the piercing, paralyzing golden gaze atop the hill had prevented me from doing.

"Why is it you cried out?" our demon asked as he approached us slowly.

His shoulders were tense under the silk of his furisode and I realised belatedly that he thought we were being attacked. Shame swept through me. "I'm sorry," I apologised immediately, wading through the water towards him. He slowed to a stop half way down the hill. "I was bathing and Rin surprised me. We're safe." I apologised again, bowing my head to him.

He tucked his sword back into the decorative blue and yellow sash around his hips and span on his heel. His hair fanned out around him with the movement and the sun made the silver locks shine. "Finish your bath."

There was a moment of Silence after Lord Sesshomaru disappeared over the hill again, then Rin gave a little giggle and splashed me again. I was smart enough to not squeal this time. "Lady Mio! You didn't cover yourself," the girl giggled.

My eyes flickered down and my hand moved to press over a naked breast. She was right. During that whole confrontation, I had been standing waist-deep in the water facing the man without any form of modesty. My breasts had been well and truly on show. There was no way he wouldn't have seen them, staring at me as hard as he had. My hand raised to press over my smiling mouth as heat bled into my cheeks.

* * *

Two days later, around the evening campfire, while Master Jaken and Rin cuddled together under my dochuugi for warmth, Lord Sesshomaru spoke up from his position on the other side of the fire.

"You still wear it, though the flowers are wilted. Why?"

I raised my hand to the flower crown still perched atop my head. I had been careful to keep it out of squish-range when I took it off in the evenings, so the flowers were still fairly well off, though they weren't looking as perfect as it had when I'd been gifted it three days ago. "She gave it to me. I'll wear it until it falls apart."

Rin was the sort of child that liked being appreciated for the little things she did. From what I had seen of her life before we'd begun travelling with Lord Sesshomaru, she was a lonely and neglected child, with no one to show her that she was appreciated. I couldn't stand letting the girl go one feeling like her little acts of sweetness weren't appreciated. Any little thing she did for me would be appreciated. I couldn't let myself treat her even close to the way that she had been treated before.

"Request a new one. You should not allow dying flowers to mar your image."

A little smile curled my lips at my Lord's words. "I'm sure she'll appreciate being able to make a new crown for me."

* * *

Rin very much did love the thought of making me a new flower crown. She promised me that it would be even better than the last one that she had made for me and hurried off to find the very best flowers in the field that we'd settled down in for lunch.

Lord Sesshomaru took his departure as Master Jaken returned from the river carrying a pile of fish for us to eat. He was getting good at catching fish without Rin around.

As Master Jaken set down the fish, I withdrew the kaiken from my kosode sleeve and set to scaling and preparing them. I'd gotten good at preparing them quickly without the use of the large counters in my kitchen for space. I was becoming quite good at field cooking now. I'd always thought it would be impossible for someone like me, who lived dependent on the modern amenities of kitchen appliances, to be able to cook a decent meal out in the wilderness, but the past couple of months had certainly taught me otherwise.

I had to physically tear Rin away from her flower crown project and escort her to the fire when the fish was cooked.

As usual, the three of us ate and chatted amongst each other about anything that sprung to our minds. The majority of the conversation was about Rin's current project and whether or not Lord Sesshomaru would appreciate Rin's efforts in making him a flower crown similar to mine. Master Jaken was adamant that the Lord would have no use for such a silly, childish thing and it would only serve to make Rin looking foolish and childish should she attempt to make one for him.

After hushing Master Jaken before a big squabble could break out between the two, I told Rin that it was her choice to make our Lord a flower crown or not, regardless of Master Jaken's opinion. I didn't tell her that I personally agreed with Master Jaken to some degree. Lord Sesshomaru didn't seem like the type that would enjoy wearing a flower crown.

The rest of our meal was taken up with Rin chattering happily about the colours of the flowers she wanted to use in Lord Sesshomaru's crown.

As soon as the last bite of fish passed Rin's lips, she jumped up and dashed off to finish her project so she could start on Lord Sesshomaru's. Master Jaken took to puttering around our little camp, not doing anything in particular but finding some little thing or another to keep himself busy.

I fed the sticks we'd used to cook the fish into the fire then found little tasks to occupy myself, just like Master Jaken. First I cleared out the furoshiki cloths that Rin and I both used, emptying Rin's of the wilting flowers she had collected and folding her dochuugi neatly, humming quietly as I went. Mine was also emptied of flower corpses that Rin had managed to slip into it and my dochuugi was folded again. Other little bits that had made a home for themselves in my furoshiki were organised neatly.

That took up nearly an hour of my time if I were to hazard a guess, then I went back to looking for something to do to pass the time.

Idly I wondered about finding myself a hobby that I could easly carry around with me; something to do on days like this when we were sat around and I had nothing else pressing to do. I'd have to put more thought into finding a nice hobby.

I collected the bamboo containers that we used for carrying water from A-Un's saddle bag. They were all close to being empty. While we were so close to the river, now was the perfect time to refill them for our next bout of travelling. With a quick kiss ech to A and Un's muzzle and a word to Master Jaken, I broke from our little camp and began the short walk to the river bank.

As I took the walk, the little humming that I'd been giving all afternoon began to morph, taking on a distinct tune rather than a puttering combination of any note my mind happened on, and then, by the time I reached the water, became words.

_Father's hunting in the forest  
__Mother's cooking in the home  
I must go to fetch the water_  
_Til the day that I am grown_

_Til I'm grown  
Til I'm grown  
I must go to fetch the water  
Til the day that I am grown_

My voice wasn't perfect - a little too flat to be a decent singer, Saburo had told me on many occasions when he had heard me singing as I did housework - but I enjoyed doing it nonetheless. As I dropped to my knees at the river bank and laid out the containers by my side, I continued singing, a little smile coming to my lips.

Eyes closed, I let my fingers dip into the cool water.

_Then I will have a handsome husband  
And a daughter of my own_  
_The I'll send her to fetch the water_  
_I'll be cooking in the home_

"If that is what you wish for, you are far from it."

My body jolted and I dropped the container I was filling. I snatched it up before the current could sweep it away and held it to my chest as I looked up. "Lord Sesshomaru, you're-" _back. _What a back, I thought to myself as I stared at my Lord in a dumbfounded sort of silence.

I had expected to see my Lord stood at the bank, perhaps walking along its edge towards me as he returned from wherever he had been since just before lunch. That wasn't what I saw, though. What I saw was far more attention-grabbing, and certainly not a position I had ever thought of seeing him in before. I was in no way complaining, though, as I did gaze at the man.

Lord Sesshomaru stood waist deep in the river's mild curren. His back was to me and his long, soaked silver hair was pulled over one shoulder. Pale, beautiful skin stretched over incredible muscles, the likes of which I had never seen before on a person outside of a magazine or television. His body wasn't bulky or overly muscled; from what I knew of sports (very little besides what I had occasionally seen Saburo watch) his build was powerful; like that of a kendo practitioner's, maybe.

My eyes shamelessly trailed from his powerful shoulders and down his back. My brows drew together. From the base of his ribs, travelling down his spine was a trail of hair, not unlike the trail of hair Saburo had, leading down from his navel. Certainly unlike that trail of hair, a _tail _emerged from the base of Lord Sesshomaru's back. The tail was thick and long. Certainly longer than he was tall, and it floated downstream. I recognised it immediately. It was the length of fur he always had looped over his shoulder. That fur was a tail? A real, attached _tail_? I could hardly believe it.

Bemused by my cut off sentence and the shocked silence I'd delved into, Lord Sesshomaru turned in the water so I could see the entirety of his profile. A sharp golden eye met with mine.

I flushed and dropped my gaze to the water before me, focussing entirely on filling the next bamboo container.

"You wish for a husband?" his deep voice asked after a moment.

"What?" came the dumb response from my numb tongue as my eyes slipped up to his form. He stood perfectly still as he stared at me. It took a second for my mind to process and immediately I gave a frantic shake of my head. "Oh, no! No!"

"Then why sing of it?"

I didn't think I would be questioned about my impulsive song choice, was my first thought, but I didn't speak the words. "It's just a song from a play where I come from, my Lord. Nothing to put any thought into." Plays were universal entertainment and had been for millennia. That would translate to this world's ideals better than the word 'movie,' I was certain. If he didn't know what a movie was (very likely) then he was certain to know what a play was.

He dipped under the water then emerged, running his clawed hand through his hair to push it out of his tattooed face. I was drawn to that beautifully sculpted pale face. "You are past the human age to have a family, are you not? Why is it you aren't settled in a village with your own brood?"

My mouth flapped open for a moment, like a fish desperate for water. "I, um-" I had no answer for that. I was twenty six. A lot of my friends had children of their own, or were married and planning for a family. I'd had the chance to get married myself. I pressed a hand to my stomach and, horrifically, tears prickled in my eyes. I shook them away and inhaled sharply. "I've little desire to marry, my Lord." And even less of a desire to start 'my own brood.'

This place was strange to me, and with the way that I travelled with this group, there would be no way for me to settle down and marry anyone. I was content with that. I had no desire to get married. I hadn't to Saburo, and unless I was to marry A-Un, I had little chance of settling down here. I was happy for that.

After the last time that I had tried for a family, I was scared to attempt again.

I was happy with my arrangement as it was and I didn't want to think on it.

"If you'll excuse me, my Lord, I'll give you some privacy to finish bathing." I bowed my head as I finished filling the containers quickly. I fumbled as I tried to make my pace quick and my cheeks burned. Desperately, I hoped that this fumbling and the subsequent extra time I was spending here wouldn't lead to Lord Sesshomaru spekaing up again.

Mercifully the man was quiet.

His golden gaze burned my back as I hurried back towards camp again, filled containters cradled against my chest.

* * *

I grunted as I carefully lifted A-Un's saddle from their back.

"I don't have the muscles for this, boys," I murmured to them as I struggled with lifting the heavy leather saddle. I struggled just the same every time I untacked A-Un, but I couldn't let myself give up. The dragon had worked hard and I couldn't let them to continue on working when I had a chance to give them some relief.

The hairs on my arm began to lift and a moment later a hot body pressed against my back. An arm, with pink stripes tattooed at the wrist, pushed under my right arm and the saddle and lifted it from A-Un's back. The Dragon ran as soon as they were free and left me, with Lord Sesshomaru stood so close I could feel his chest brush against my back with even breaths.

I slid from between his chest and arm and bit my lip as I looked up at him through my lashes from the safety of a few feet away. A little smile curled up the edges of my lips and my hand lifted to tuck a lock of brown hair behind a pierced ear. "Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru."

Free of the weight of the saddle A-Un began a sprint, dashing away from the two of us. Their riding blanket fluttered in the kicked-up wind as it slid from their back.

His golden eyes met mine as he crouched to set the saddle down. "If you need aid in tacking, call for me. You could damage the equipment, A-Un or even yourself without sufficient strength."

I limped backwards a few more steps and nodded. "Of course, Lord Sesshomaru. Thank you." Dropping my gaze to the floor, I bent to pick up the riding blanket and carefully fold it into a neat square.

* * *

"Rin, I'd like to one day see you stumble over words."

Rin had been excitedly recounting a tale in which she and her two brothers got into trouble trying to steal from their neighbour's farm but managed to run away, but got lost in the woods, then found their way home and everything was all right again. It was a long tale and Rin was speaking it in what had to be just one breath. I couldn't count a single time that she had come up for air during the telling.

"Maybe a tongue twister would see you stumble," I mused.

She paused in her story and looked up at me with curious eyes. "Tongue twister? Is that like another of your games, Lady Mio?"

"I suppose it is, Rin. It's where you say a difficult phrase as fast as you can to try and trip yourself up. It's quite rewarding to be able to do it." I'd been taught tongue twisters by my father when I was about Rin's age. I had a rather bad stuttering problem as a child and focussing on trying to say the difficult phrases precisely and fast had really helped me get rid of that problem. I could count the amount of times I had stuttered in the past few years on one hand now.

The little girl sat next to me looked sufficiently interested. "Will you show me?"

"Hmm..." I pressed my finger to my lips as I tried to think of the best tongue twister I knew. "A Japanese plum is a kind of peach, a peach is also a peach, both Japanese plum and peach are kinds of peaches," I recited in one breath, then exhaled heavily when I had done. That was the first twister I'd ever recited to my father successfully without stuttering. He'd been so proud of me when I'd done it, then immedaitely issued a challenge for another twister that had taken even longer for me to perfect.

Taking just a little pride in Rin's awed expression, I launched into another. "The Japanese serow and the sika deer are both deer, but certainly the sea lion is not a deer." Her little gasp of joy had me smiling. "I think you'll fare better with something easier. How about... Red tea kettle, yellow tea kettle, brown tea kettle. Try and say them slowly, then build up speed when you're more comfortable. Then maybe you can make up your own."

As Rin bounced off, stuttering over tea kettles, I reached over to my packed furoshiki cloth and unwrapped it to get at my dochuugi.

"Welcome back, Lord Sesshomaru," I greeted as he emerged from the trees and settled at a tree not too far from the fire a few moments later.

His gaze was on Rin as he shifted to make himself comfortable. "Why is she preoccupied with coloured tea kettles?"

The question bought a little laugh bubbling from me. I was glad that, despite the awkward moments shared between us yesterday, we could chat so normally about Rin now. "I taught her tongue twisters to keep her occupied. Goodness knows I spent hours preoccupied with them when I was her age. It'll keep her busy while we're travelling. Hopefully it'll stop her and Master Jaken squabbling for a little while." I shook out the pink material and drew it over my head. "How was your day?"

He mulled over the question as I pushed my arms through my sleeves and adjusted the material around me. "No different than any other day," he eventually replied.

"That's brilliant then." Usually when I asked that question of Saburo (the only other person that I'd lived with recently besides Lord Sesshomaru but not spent every moment with, like I did Rin and Master Jaken), I got a morbid and sometimes rather sickening answer; 'we lost him on the table', 'it was cancer,' 'it was bright _green._' To hear that the day went by the same as usual was a very pleasant answer in my mind. I didn't much appreciate morbid details and the simplicity of the answer made me happy. "I am curious about what you do when you leave us behind, Lord Sesshomaru." I yawned and politely overed my mouth. "Maybe someday you'll take me along to see what it is you do?"

I expected to hear a huff or a rebuking comment, if not from him, then certainly from Master Jaken. But the imp was dozing in the fire's warmth and Lord Sesshomaru remained silent.

* * *

**Information time!**

**Colour changing hair -** The particular way Mio dyes her hair has a name in Japan. She dyes it a light brown colour. It's called Chapatsu, but it wasn't actually given that name until 1997. And, of course, no time travelling going on in this fic, so its just dyed!

**My Own Home - **From Disney's _The Jungle Book. _I used the English lyrics here, but the film did have a Japanese translation in 1994, so if this were to really happen, Mio would be singing in Japanese. The English lyrics are used for you readers to understand what she's singing. Mio just strikes me as a Disney fan, so I'm certain that, despite her plain voice, she would randomly burst into song or humming occasionally.

**Kendo** \- A modern Japanese martial art that uses swords.

**A Japanese plum - **this is a real Japanese tongue twister translated into English. It's difficult enough in English, but in Japanese, it's: "Sumomo mo momo, momo mo momo, sumomo mo momo mo momo no uchi." I find it really difficult to get my tongue around it, but I suppose Japanese is very different than English and Spanish, so I'm not too hurt over not being able to do it properly.

**The Japanese serrow - **Another Japanese tongue twister. I actually fare better with this one than the peach one, but not by much. It's original form is: "Kamoshika mo shika mo shika da ga, tashika ashika wa shika de wa nai."

**Tea kettles - **I gave up with this one, both in English and Japanese. I don't like L's. L is an evil letter in a tongue twister, and the Japanese (Aka-chazutsu, ki chazutsu, cha-chazutsu) killed me. It was fun finding all these tongue twisters, anyway.

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**Review corner!**

**Noface - **Welcome to review corner and thank you very much for the review. It means a lot to hear from readers. Really? I've never noticed anything like that before. I'm gonna have to go and rewatch the three movies he's in now. I hope you feel guilty about that :p Thank you so much! I do spend an unholy amount of time doing research for some chapters. I do try to keep as true to history as the medium (InuYasha) and my own experiences and research can achieve. I can't be perfect in what I research, but I do try. Yeah, I'm the same about tattoos; I have a personal experience with having a tattoo in Japan. Actually, my tattoo is on my wrist in a similar position to the burn tattoo on Mio's. So I tried to add that experience into the fic. I see a lot of Sesshomaru fics that have him living in a castle. It always bothers me because he does say explicitly in the manga that his only inheritance from his father (who wasn't even a Lord of the Western Lands, mind) was Tenseiga. There are only two people in their family that has any claim to land, a title or a castle: Sesshomaru's mother, who is very much alive and still living in her castle so Sesshomaru doesn't have any claim to it or any title, and InuYasha, because his mother was of noble birth, though clearly that land and title wasn't officially given to him. Sesshomaru's mission, besides killing off Naraku, is to build his own empire, which will eventually mean acquiring his own land, a castle, and title, but not now as canon stands. Oops, sorry about that rant. I do that a lot. If it bugs you, just slap me.. Most other people do. I love writing Mio. She's so strong in some aspects and so weak in others. It's so fun to try and make her a well rounded character with those attributes. I've read my fair share of 'fall into the universe' fics. I'm actually planning on writing a second one soon. I find it so hard to write them in a way that doesn't sound completely ridiculous. Hopefully, the fact that you've carried on reading until the current end of this fic means that you like the way I've written this. Thank you! Sesshomaru is a character that sometimes I find difficult to write. Im so used to writing very expressive characters, that writing someone who can be as stoic as Sesshomaru is a bit of a challenge for me. I hope you liked this chapter, then. There was a lot of bonding between Mio and Sesshomaru in this chapter. Thank you again for the review, and I hope to see you next week!

**Setsuna1986 - **I've not found the perfect balance between similarities and differences with someone yet. Lets hope Mio and Sesshomaru can make that balance, though. Those two certainly have more differences than similarities at the moment. I'm totally the same. Its very rare that Ill actually read through a fic where I dont like the OC. That one Bleach fic was really the only one I can pull from my memory where I did power through reading about an OC I didn't like. Haha, looking forward to feels is a dangerous thing. She'll certainly develop a less naive character soon, but for the moment shes struggling against losing the personality that she's lived with for years. Learning to live in the Feudal era is certainly a work in progress for her. It was indeed something that holds a lot of importance to me. I like showing little things that show reltionship development, like shows of familiarity with certain actions. Sesshomaru leaving is certainly something that happens a lot, I feel, so showing Mio familiar with the leaving and just wishing him well when he does was very deliberate. Im so glad that people notice these little thing! I think that comment made my day. I loved writing the A-Un scene in this chapter. I can really picture the two of them being less than graceful. I was laughing to myself as I wrote the two of them banging heads. Mio's a very appreciative person by nature; she appreciates retty much everything everyone does for her, even if that someone isn't as sentient as a human. Shes the sort of person that wants everyone to be comfortable and happy if she can. I also don't see a lot of OCs caring for A-Un in fanfics, which is kinda upsetting. A-Un are just as much pack members as Rin and Jaken. It upsets me when they don't get much of a focus in fics. The yelling was definitely called for. Familial relationships have kinks like this. I'm certainly not going to count all the times that my family has justly yelled at me for something inconsiderate I've done, just like Mio yelled at Rin here. It's an attempt at making their relationship dynamic realistic. Yes, Mio's very much become an important part of the pack. They're all a big family unit now. Rin is way more important to Mio than Mio is to herself. You'll see that even better in a few chapters. Yes! She buried her face in his tail! Thank you! Looking forward to next week!

**Sadly, there was no review from _TheOpheliac _this week.**

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**You may notice that this chapter is kinda bitty. There are lots of short scenes in this chapter. It's supposed to show a progression of time and just snippits of peaceful daily life. Well, as peaceful as daily life in Sesshomaru's pack is. This is just a transition chapter, really, leading up to the very important events in the next chapter.**

**It was nice to add something so completely modern to Mio's character. She's an adaptable person and has slipped fairly easily into feudal life. She's even picking up the formal old way of speaking slowly but surely. But giving her dyed hair is just something that offsets that. She used to be from this place where people could do something as amazing as change their hair colour at a moments notice. Her dismissal of it is something that I liked to add, as well. She's enjoying living a more simple less appearance-driven life and casting aside a modern monthly ritual is a big step in showing her accepting staying in this place.**

**So I had to play into at least one big fanfic stereotype. Something little happened, there was some screaming, and in comes the love interest to fight off a non-existent evil and just finds the OC in a compromising position. Though of course, I had to do something different. Mio's not too much of a shy person when it comes to her body, so she just stood there flashing Sesshomaru the goods. This, I think, is quite an important thing about Mio's character. Mio has her bouts of lack of self worth. She's the sort of person that would sacrifice herself without a second thought because she feels others have more self worth than her, but she isn't self conscious. Mio has a sort of maturity about her; she doesn't hate her body. She loves the way she looks and she isn't shy about it. Mio doesn't have a lot of self worth, but she isn't ashamed of her body. It's quite a mature trait, I think, to not be worried about your body.**

**Writing such a light-hearted not battle-centric chapter was wonderful. I love making my characters happy just as much as I love making them miserable. It's about time Mio smiled and laughed and had good things happening to her.**


	15. Scroll Fourteen

**Merry Christmas!**

**Please don't hate me when you've finished reading this chapter. What happens in this chapter is important to the future plot, I promise.**

**This chapter, in part, follows the events of the double episode 133 and 134: _The Woman Who Loved Sesshomaru. _Dialogue taken from the episode will be from the English dubbed version, for consistency. I've been super excited to get to this point. It was this episode that sparked the idea for a Sesshomaru-loving OC that eventually went on to become Mio. We all owe a lot to this double episode. Without it, I dont think Mio would ever come to exist and _Golden Windows_, and subsequently, _Kagome Kagome _wouldn't have existed the way it does now.**

**Thank you to everyone that read the last chapter and I hope I'll actually be able to say this next chapter, if you haven't all abandoned me. And thank you _LadyAmazon_ and _HiddenCamelia_for adding this story to your favourites.**

**Onwards!**

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**Kagome Kagome**

Scroll Fourteen

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"Say, Master Jaken, let's play a game of tongue twisters."

Oh dear, I thought to myself, as Master Jaken enquired dully, thoroughly bored with Rin's newest entertainment already. I had thought that giving the girl something to occupy herself with would keep her from engaging Master Jaken in a verbal brawl. I hadn't counted on her bringing Master Jaken into her game.

"Me first," Rin insisted. "Red Jaken, blue Jaken, gold Jaken."

She'd completely exhausted tea kettles in the few days since I had taught her what tongue twisters were. I didn't think I ever wanted to see a tea kettle of any colour again. I was a little worried that her new tongue twister would make me hate the sight of Master Jaken. I enjoyed talking to the imp. I didn't want to be haunted by golden Jaken's when I looked at him.

Master Jaken gave a little sigh and, in an exasperated voice, repeated her little twister.

She complimented him with excited praise and he mumbled his own, less excited, reply. "Not as good as Lady Mio, though," Rin added. "She's very good with peaches and deer." I had been spared from repeating my twisters more than once a day and my daily quota had been booked when she insisted I recited them during lunch today so she could attempt to memorise them. I hoped she didn't decide that once wasn't enough any more. I did enjoy tongue twisters, but I'd heard nothing but tea kettles in the past four days and just the thought of tongue twisters was exhausting me at the moment.

Mercifully, I wasn't called upon to show off my expertise. Rin was too occupied with bringing Master Jaken into her game. "One more time! Red Jaken, blue Jaken, gold Jaken."

Master Jaken was done playing with her and with a tired "forget it" he proceeded to ignore her.

Rin just whined at him. I leaned over from my spot on A-Un's back and laid a hand atop her head. "I think that's enough, Rin. If you bother him too much, he won't want to play any games with you any more." A wicked part of me hoped that my words would quash her desperation to learn any more tongue twisters. "Why-"

My gaze flickered up in the direction we were travelling in when gooseflesh pricked at my forearms. Something was coming. In the front of our travelling band, Lord Sesshomaru came to an abrupt halt, confirming my worry.

Rin picked up on both of our sudden changes and looked between us curiously. "Is something the matter, Lord Sesshomaru, Lady Mio?"

A note from a flute answered her. The tune that continued from that single note was haunting.

I slid off A-Un's back and rounded Rin and Master Jaken to stand at Lord Sesshomaru's side. "What is it?" I breathed.

The answer was given to me when a body appeared in the mist. "A woman..." A young woman, dressed in layer upon layer of beautifully decorated silk emerged from the mist and dropped to a knee before us. My eyes ran over her form with the greedy eyes of a historian in heaven. Everything about her was beautiful. From the noble cut of her hair, down to the powder whitening her skin and the wonderfully carved flute in her grasp. She was like living history.

"It's been quite some time, Lord Sesshomaru." She knew him?

Master Jaken stepped forwards. "Who are you?" he asked, rude and forceful. "An acquaintance of my Master?"

I turned my gaze back to the imp. Maybe she and Lord Sesshomaru didn't know each other... From my experience, Master Jaken knew the majority of what Lord Sesshomaru did. After centuries together, I accepted that they shared most everything with each other. It was strange for Lord Sesshomaru to know someone that Master Jaken didn't.

"Forgive me. I am Sara," she introduced, raising her head and opening her eyes. They were a dark grey colour like my own. Master Jaken voiced the lack of clarity the introduction gave him and the woman elaborated. "I am from Asano castle. Have you forgotten it?"

"Asano castle?" our Lord enquired.

"The first time I saw you, Lord Sesshomaru, was at Asano castle during a more turbulent time." Was it that she knew him but he didn't know her? I listened to her tale of war with rapt interest and confirmed my theory. Lord Sesshomaru had unintentionally helped her family out during wartime. She'd seen him but he had little recollection of her.

At least, that's what I thought.

She rose gracefully to her feet. "Lord Sesshomaru..."

"I don't know you," were his only words as he moved forwards. I began to walk with him.

She pleaded with him. "Don't go. I want to do what I can to make your wish come true."

His wish? My stride at Lord Sesshomaru's side slowed and I turned to look back at her. She knew Lord Sesshomaru's wish? Who was she? My thoughts ran amok, wondering just how she knew this about Lord Sesshomaru if he claimed he didn't know her. Someone's life wish was an intimate thing. You didn't share that with someone that had passed into your peripheral like I had gathered Lady Sara had done with Lord Sesshomaru. Was there more to this story?

"-only ask that you acknowledge my feelings for you?"

My gaze snapped up to the woman in shock. Feelings for him? She had feelings for Lord Sesshomaru. A small amount of jealous disbelief bubbled in my chest. My tongue felt sour in my mouth.

Master Jaken exploded in his own jealous anger, ranting at her loudly.

"Jaken," Lord Sesshomaru's angry voice sounded. His body twisted so we were stood chest-to-chest. One curved spike of his armour just brushed my jaw. "Leave her," he ordered.

As Master Jaken crumbled under our Lords sharp gaze, Lady Sara smiled. "I will fulfil your wish no matter what it takes," she vowed.

A displeased noise sounded just above me as Lord Sesshomaru turned his back to her again. "As you please." A dismissal.

With a pleased parting of a nod and an utterance of 'good' she left, clearly not seeing the dismissal as what it was. Poor woman.

"Such a strange mortal," Master Jaken muttered after her. He went on to question Lord Sesshomaru about the woman, then had a muttered bicker with Rin about her. "Honestly, as if a mere human could help our Lord."

"She wasn't human," was my immediate whispered response. She wasn't. The gooseflesh that was still on my arms didn't appear on the odd occasion that humans appeared during our travels. Only demons made my flesh react like that. The woman, as human as she looked, couldn't be human.

"Mio," Lord Sesshomaru spoke. I raised my gaze to him then dropped it when he sent a pointed stare downwards.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I muttered. Some time during the confrontation, my fingers had tangled unconsciously into the sleeve of his furisode. I disentangled them and held my hand to my chest as Lord Sesshomaru began to walk again.

"Are you blind, Jaken?" he questioned as we all began to follow. "Mio was right. That was no human." Jaken gave a disbelieving grumble. "It was a demon. No, perhaps she was originally human, but never quite became a full demon."

That could happen? Like... Kiyohime?

That thought left me a little sour.

* * *

I awoke the next morning to a warm hand on my shoulder and a quiet voice speaking my name. I identified that voice immediately and my eyes flickered open to look up at my demon protector's face. "Lord Sesshomaru?" I asked around a yawn, rubbing at my sleep-crusted eye. "What is it?"

He rose to his feet. "You asked, not long ago, to accompany me on an outing. Now is your chance."

I wasn't tired any more. Lord Sesshomaru was inviting me on his morning errands? I'd been joking when I asked if he'd take me along some day and from his silence when I had asked, I'd guessed that my question was so stupid that it didn't even deserve a response. I'd cast the wish from my mind that night because I knew it wasn't going to happen.

Or, I thought I knew it wasn't going to happen.

Joy filled me and I smiled as I pushed myself to my feet. I bent to pick up my dochuugi and fold it neatly, setting it besides Rin's sleeping head. I rifled through my furoshiki cloth and snatched up the pack of nuts I kept in it. I could have a few of those for breakfast while we walked. When I stood again, Lord Sesshomaru was waiting at the tree line for me.

I half jogged to reach him, then fell into step with him as the two of us began to walk through the forest.

The early morning bird song was quite a sound to listen to as we walked. "I'll never get over how beautiful this place is," I breathed, looking up to the canopy to see the birds flitting between trees. No matter how many times I looked on such beautiful scenes, like the untouched nature, the wonderfully colourful sunsets and the star-filled sky, I could never quite believe that I was really here witnessing it. It was all so surrealy beautiful.

I threw my arms out and turned in a slow circle, just enjoying the warmth of the morning sun seeping into my skin.

"We've little time to frolic in the-" He paused. "I smell InuYasha. Come."

Before I even realised what was happening, Lord Sesshomaru had an arm around me and we were sweeping through the forest. I grasped tightly to his furisode and shifted uncomfortably as I tried to find a position that didn't have the spikes on his chestplate poking me. His chestplate definitely worked as it was designed to. Getting close to him would result in sharp stab in the chest. This armour wasn't designed with a lover in mind, for sure.

When I was let down to the ground, I could smell the salty tang of the sea. I pulled away from Lord Sesshomaru and looked out into the most beautiful ocean view I'd seen in years. The beautiful view was marred with people. A woman on a gargantuan bird - it must have been a demon bird - the bright red and white form of InuYasha, and a- My eyes narrowed warily and I contemplated whether I was seeing things. No... There really was a girl wearing a uniform. Not just any uniform. I knew that uniform well. Back when I had been in junior high, I'd jeered at people in that uniform just as much as any other student. They were our rival sports team.

I hadn't seen that uniform since I'd graduated to high-school, though. I'd left behind the junior high and its sports teams and moved onto bigger, better things. I never thought I'd see that uniform again after middle-school. I certainly never thought I'd see it here.

I tried desperately to think of something to say, but before my mind could supply anything, I was drawn to the yell of Lord Sesshomaru's brother. I choked on a breath and stumbled back a step, bumping into Lord Sesshomaru's chest plate. A spike stuck uncomfortably into my shoulder, but disappeared a moment later when Lord Sesshomaru ran past me, jumping and grasping the arm InuYasha was attacking with in mid-air. I flinched back and smartly moved backwards away from the fight.

The woman's voice that yelled out next was one that I recognised. That woman with the flute that had bowed to Lord Sesshomaru last night. Lady Sara? She was stood atop the demon bird. I bit my lip when the woman cried out an order to my Lord. Lord Sesshomaru was nothing if not a stubborn teenager. Did she really think telling him to do something would make him do it? Like most teenagers - myself included once upon a time - pushing to make him do something would just end up in a glare and the exact opposite happening just out of spite.

I wasn't wrong in my thoughts. The order to make sure InuYasha didn't get away ended in Lord Sesshomaru protecting his younger brother with a green mist that emitted from his fingertips aimed at Lady Sara. I backtracked another couple of steps when the body of the demon bird began to dissolve when it came in contact with that mist. Was it an acid?

Lady Sara landed directly in front of me and gasped out a disbelieving "Lord Sesshomaru." She did believe that telling him to do something was the best way to get him to do it! If she did indeed have feelings for him, they weren't feelings made from getting to know him. His stubbornness was a fundamental of his personality. She couldn't have spent much time with him at all before making those feelings if she didn't know that about him.

"Stop your barking, InuYasha," my Lord ordered, turning his sharp gaze down to his brother to shut him up as he began running his mouth.

His conversation continued with his brother as I inched slowly around Lady Sara. I didn't really want to be noticed, but this confrontation was interesting. Is this what happened when Lord Sesshomaru left us? He found someone to fight? No, it couldn't be. Not every time, at least. He'd said not long ago that he wasn't looking for unneccessary fights. Was this a one-off, then?

Lady Sara dropped to her knees and held out a sheathed sword in her grasp. "Please accept this. Use this sword to put an end to InuYasha's life." An order again.

I was curious about the sword in her grasp. The heavy atmosphere made it seem like the sword was something incredibly important. What was so important about it, though? The sheath was immaculate, but the guard was dented and scratched. The cloth grip was tattered. With the state of that small part of the sword, I dared not think about what the blade looked like. I didn't believe this sword was well taken care of, at all. It was sad to see what must have been a beautiful sword in the past deteriorated to such a state. The state of the sword just made me more confused. What was so important about a sword this badly cared for that made the atmosphere this heavy?

"You're under the wrong impression." Lord Sesshomaru's voice drew my attention from the sword. His gaze was locked onto the bowed woman's form. "Did you truly believe this is what I desired? For you to steal his sword for me?"

"Then you do not?" She sounded so shocked.

So the sword was InuYasha's. Lord Sesshomaru wanted his brother's sword? For what? He had two swords of his own. Or was it not a matter of the sword itself? Was the sword a gift from their father? Swords were generally passed down in the family. If that was the case, this was nothing more than a playground brawl blown out of proportion. InuYasha had been given a toy by their father and Lord Sesshomaru wanted that particular toy.

I wanted to believe that my Lord wasn't that petty.

"I will not accept help defeating InuYasha. Especially not from someone like you." He turned and began a slow walk towards the edge of the cliff. As he passed me, he reached out to grasp the shoulder of my kosode, pulling me along. When we got to the edge of the cliff, his hand released my clothing and his arm encircled my waist, pulling me against him - and his spiked chestplate.

We were off, flying again.

I curled into his body and sifted the fur at his shoulder through my fingers so I could look back at the cliff. A fight was breaking out again. My eyes flickered to the uniform-clad girl and stared hard.

What was a girl wearing a school uniform doing here?

Was she the same as me?

* * *

Our flight was short and when we settled on the ground again we were in the middle of a forest. He released me and began a slow walk.

"Do fights like that happen every time you leave us at camp?" I didn't believe they did, but some part wondered whether Lord Sesshomaru's life was so centric on fighting that fights did occur daily. His body was so toned that some part of me could believe it.

"Not typically, no."

I expected as much, but the confirmation did make me happy. He'd surprised me by taking me out on one of his trips and on that trip something special had happened. It made the experience just that bit more special. "Thank you. Really, I appreciate you sharing this with me." My limping sped up so I was at his side. His pace slowed automatically so we were walking together at a pace manageable to me.

"You asked, I allowed. There is nothing more to it. Your thanks is unneccessary."

There was more to it than that. I knew there was. Lord Sesshomaru was a secretive person. He kept to himsef and didn't offer anything about himself unless he was asked directly, and only then if he decided that he wanted to share. I doubted that he would have done this if Master Jaken or Rin had asked. This was special, no matter what he said to deny that.

I glanced up at him through my lashes.

The morning sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting a glow on my companion's silver hair and the fine silk donning his frame. The sight was just as beautiful as the nature around us.

I chewed on my lip was we walked and looked up at Lord Sesshomaru as he came to a stop. I turned to face him when I came to my own stop.

He was staring up at a large tree to his left.

I stepped forwards, hands resting on his chestplate as I pushed myself up to the tips of my toes.

He was nicer to me than he was to Master Jaken. He talked more to me than he did to Rin. He'd bought my attention to him, conversed with me, while he was bathing; vulnerable. He helped me with chores around the camp. He protected me. He'd bought me out on this outing.

It was like a date, wasn't it?

My hand slid up to cup his cheek. It was so wonderfully warm under my palm. He turned his face to mine and golden eyes gazed down at me. At the very tips of my toes, I gained just enough height to brush my lips to his.

We were both adults and there was an attraction between us. Maybe, just maybe, if one of us took the next step then something bigger could bloom between us.

And in the next second, Lord Sesshomaru pulled away, turning his head and refusing me.

The brutal chill of rejection tore through me, leaving me cold and humilited. "I-I-"

Tears of humiliation sprung in my eyes as I took a step back. I'd guessed his kindness wrong, hadn't I? I'd gotten everything wrong. I covered my mouth and turned away, muffling a horrified noise.

The humiliation only grew when the next voice to speak wasn't Lord Sesshomaru's. "Do you remember now?" Lady Sara. The woman that had feelings for Lord Sesshomaru. I didn't want to hear this. I didn't want to be here. I would stand no chance finding camp if I just randomly began walking, though. I had no idea where I was.

I had to rely on Lord Sesshomaru to lead me back.

"On that day, so very long ago, you were leaning against a tree and resting from your injuries." The less I wanted to hear, the louder the words sounded in my ears. "It's still so vivid. I will never forget the sight of you that day. I had never seen anyone as handsome as you and I gazed at you for a long, long time."

I inhaled deeply, wiped my eyes and turned my head away to give them some privacy. I didn't want to watch this. I really didn't.

What I believed Lord Sesshomaru and I had was small. It was like the spark of a first date; a chance for something to grow if we had let it, for me, at least. Clearly, his thoughts on the matter differed and that chance of something bigger happening wasn't going to happen.

If someone else had the chance with the man, then they got my best wishes and every chance to attempt. He was a good person and things just didn't happen between the two of us. There was no real reason to be vindictive or upset. The woman had already declared that she had strong feelings for him and had even attempted, no matter that it failed, to fulfil his wish. She had every right to attempt this. I just didn't want to play witness to this. I was strong enough to step back graciously, but I wasn't strong enough to watch.

The more I tried to block out her story of trying to stop her father from attacking him, the louder the words seemed to sound in my ear. Privacy, in this situation, wasn't easy to achieve.

I tried to keep my breathing even and keep my tears at bay. I wasn't going to act stupid, and be jealous over a man that didn't want me. I was a grown woman. There was no way to justify any silly thought to sabotage Lady Sara. I wasn't that petty.

I felt like I was trying to assure myself that I wasn't that petty.

"The sound of a flute," came the piercing voice of my Lord. "I thought I heard a flute that day."

So he did remember her. My eyes clenched closed and I inhaled deeply again.

She moved then, purposefully brushing past me with a smirk on her lips, to sit at the base of the tree. So she'd been ignoring my presence, but now she could see that I was upset and I had stepped down, she was going to rub the fact that he'd aknowledged her in a way he hadn't me into my face, like she was a girl in school glating that she'd won the boy. How cruel. Petty and cruel.

I swallowed deeply and took a few steps back, moving towards the tree line to give them more room as she began to play the flute. I took my own seat at the base of a smaller tree and gazed up at Lord Sesshomaru. His expression was still the same as when he'd gazed down at me, though now he was looking up into the canopy of the large tree he was stood under.

The song paused after a while, and she returned to her tale.

"I would have ended my life without ever revealing my feelings for you."

My gaze dropped to the grassy ground. Could this be counted as torturing myself? Was listening to this some twisted form of masochism?

"Lord Sesshomaru, please, at least acknowledge all that I have done for you until this day."

Yes, I decided. This was masochism. No matter how much this pained me, I couldn't stop listening.

An amused sound came from my Lord. "So that is your true form, is it?"

True form? Sara's words echoed my thoughts. What did he mean by true form? She looked no different than she had earlier, on the cliff.

Another voice sounded. InuYasha had found the scene. Lord Sesshomaru protected the woman from his brother's attack with a swipe of an artfully drawn sword.

_Childish_, I scolded myself. _Disgusting. _Lady Sara hadn't been harmed and a tiny part of me had been upset. A man wasn't worth wishing injury on someone. When had I become so petty? I turned away and buried my face against my knees. I was petty and pathetic and I didn't like it one bit.

The chilling moans of small demons drew me from my self loathing and I inhaled a sharp breath as I stood. Sara's arm... It was a demon. It looked so much like a snake.

Suddenly the thought of relating her to Kiyohime didn't leave me so bitter.

I was so pathetic.

What was going on? InuYasha was bound with those snake-like demons and Lord Sesshomaru was stood in front of him in a protective stance, facing Sara as if she was the enemy.

"I have seen more than enough of your disgustingly wretched form, woman."

I breathless cry sounded from me as Lord Sesshomaru cut the woman in half with a sweep of his sword. From her split corpse, dozens of snake-like demons emerged. Bile began to rise in my throat as Sara's body pulsed and stitched together again. Her skin began to darken and horns split the skin of her forehead.

My body wheeled back when snake-like demons began flying in my direction. I pushed against the tree I was leaning against and ran along the tree-line, heading towards the clear space behind InuYasha's bound form. I didn't know what I would do when I got there, but for now I could just out-run them. I could think of a plan later. Flight was taking precedence over fight right now and I was happy to indulge that instinct.

Another cry tore from me when a large animal landed in front of me. In my attempts to stop before I ran right into it, I tripped, landing hard on my arms. I could feel the sharp tear of little pebbles cutting through my skin and the sting of dirt in fresh wounds as I skidded along the ground.

Purple material brushed my arm as a young monk braced himself by my side and yelled out to InuYasha.

Scared and confused, my attempts to get my feet under me only resulted in my tripping again, falling right into someone.

"Hey! Hey, it's okay," a girl comforted. Thin arms wrapped around me, stilling my attempts to get away. I shook in her gentle grip. Her arms were hot; the same sort of heat Rin and Lord Sesshomaru and the well gave off. "Are you okay?" After a beat, she gave a strangled chuckle. "Of course you're not."

Her eyes were blue. An incredible blue that I had seen only once before on a face that looked entirely Asian. I recognised the shaggy cut to the fringe and, when I pulled out of her arms, the uniform. This was the girl from the cliff. The one that wore my junior high's rival uniform. "Who are you?"

She gave a tight smile. "Maybe it would be best if we saved the introductions for later. Do you know what's happening here?" Her head raised so she was looking at the scene in front of us.

"I- Lord Sesshomaru and I were-" I shook my head slowly. I didn't want to explain what Lord Sesshomaru and I were doing, and it wasn't an important detail. "No, not really." I honestly had no idea what was going on. I was just an onlooker in this fight. One moment Sara had been confessing her love to Lord Sesshomaru and the next the fight had happened. I didn't know what had happened.

"Are you-" She gave a loud gasp, cutting herself off. "Wait, InuYasha!" she yelled out. "Look at that flute!" She ignored the impatient growl of my Lord's brother. "The nun had that same flute with her when the convent exploded."

Nun? Convent? What was she talking about?

Her group continued talking about the nun and a swarm of demons. The conversation went right over my head. I had no idea what they were talking about. Instead of getting myself more lost in their conversation, I tilted myself a little so I could see Lord Sesshomaru's body around InuYasha.

He was just stood there. He didn't look hurt.

A small amount of relief eased my tense mind a little.

That relief was replaced by nervous tension again when he jumped into fighting, slashing at Sara's grotesque body with his sword.

The whistle of air past my ear made me jerk back. Just a few inches from me, the junior high girl stood with her arm outstretched, clenching a bow. The arrow was already whipping through the air towards the demon Sara. The arrow only made the demon angrier and I flinched back when more snake-like demons came towards us.

The hairs on my arms jumped up when a burst of energy ran through the clearing. At the grip of the sword Lord Sesshomaru was weilding, I could see a crackling energy. Little sparks, like tiny bolts of lightening jumped over his skin.

My pace only sped up when I smelt the sick scent of burning flesh. "Lord Sesshomaru!" My the time I reached the demon man, he had cast away the sword. In a panic, I grasped at his wrist before I managed to get myself stationary. My feet skidded as I looked over his hand carefully. The burns were only first-degree, but I knew from experiene how painful those could be at times. I'd had many kitchen accidents in the past. "Oh, Lord Sesshomaru."

His voice sounded, devoid of any sort of pain at all. "That mark..."

"At last, I've been set free again," a quiet voice murmured.

Both Lord Sesshomaru and I turned to the kimono-clad woman laid at the base of the large tree. Her body was crumbling away like ash as she gazed up at Lord Sesshomaru. I released his hand and stepped back.

He stepped forwards so he was right in front of her.

"Lord Sesshomaru. Thank you for helping me." Her thanks was truly beautiful. Those few words had so much meaning behind them and I felt guilty for ever wishing ill of her. I was a terrible person.

Lord Sesshomaru just stood, staring down at her.

"Do something," I urged in a whisper. He had to do something. He couldn't just stand there while she was dying.

After a glance in my direction, he crouched before the fading woman and picked up her flute.

"I have no regrets," the woman said. Tears filled her eyes, and I could feel my own eyes becoming wet in response. "Because in the end, I was able to express my true feelings to you - my love for you." Her eyes closed and the last of her body crumbled away, leaving just a pile of ash.

She hadn't glanced at me, or given me a single breath. In the end, all that was important to her was Lord Sesshomaru and those pure feelings she had for him. Her love may not have been based on knowing him, but that didn't matter. Her love for him was no less wonderful than any other love. It was just as deep.

Lord Sesshomaru pushed the flute into the ash and stood, leaving the instrument like a grave marker, as he walked away. "Go and play your flute in the netherworld." It was a beautiful wish to her.

I bowed my head in a prayer to her, wishing for a safe and happy afterlife.

"Mio," my Lord called out. he was stood at the trees waiting for me.

"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru." I smiled sadly down at the grave one last time, before following the demon into the woods.

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**Information time!**

**Kiyohime - **A woman that was transformed into a serpent demon because of unrequited love. Mio's being a little jealous and the thought of someone loving her demon is what made her feel a little sour there.

**School uniform - **I don't know if rival schools even exist in Japan. I know they certainly do here in England, so I'm just gonna assume yes they do. If the rivalry is anything like the rivalry we have here, there's a lot of animosity between schools at times. Back when Mio was a loud-mouthed, angry, InuYasha-esque character, you can bet that she had a hand in those rival fights.

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**Review corner!**

**Lots of reviews this chapter! This made me extremely happy! Thank you everyone.**

**InuyashaReader - **Merry Christmas and thank you for your review! There are a lot of factors influencing Mio's reaction in the bath scene. One, her only consistent female friend up until she fell through the well was Maria, an American woman I tried to paint to be very outgoing and fairly careless in the short scene she was in and the few mentions shes had. Another factor was her relationship with Saburo. I haven't gone into much detail with Saburo's relationship yet, but that does hold a lot of importance into certain traits Mio has. Mio isn't supposed to be approrpiate; her oppenness to sexual things has been brushed upon before, when she oggled Sesshomaru after dunking himself in a river. She's a woman that had, until recently, been having sex regularly. She's been written to be struggling with that a little and I believe that, with the two above factors to her behaviour, her reaction to a man that she finds attractive seeing her breasts is a realistic reaction a woman in Mio's situation would have. Thanks for putting forwards your opinion and I hope that me explaining this has helped some.

**Noface - **Merry Christmas! His father was said to be stationed in the Western Lands, but that's as far as anything was said towards the 'Lord of the Western Lands' deal. Jaken explained why he travels in episode 162, I believe. He's building up strength so he can eventually set up his own empire. Clothing issue? I'm so glad you liked the chapter! I loved writing the interaction between the two of them, also especially the saddle scene. That holds a little importance, so you'll be seeing that again. I don't think Sesshomaru is the type to consciously consider people's suggestions most the time. I think his subconscious mind might mull it over, but otherwise I doubt it.

**aki-blood-dark-princess - **Merry Christmas!I try to mention everyone that adds the story to their alerts. I really do appreciate everyone that adds the story to their alerts. To see that someone added my story to their alerts is one of the greatest compliments as a writer on this website. So thank you again!

**Guest - **Merry Christmas!Thanks for the review! Sesshomaru's a child to pretty much everyone. Jaken just gets the majority of it.

**No review from either _TheOpheliac_ or _Setsuna1986_ this time around. If either of you read this, Merry Christmas!**

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**DON'T HATE ME!**

**Historians are very greedy people when it comes to historical things, trust me. As a lover of Egyptology, that got to go to Egypt a few years ago, I can assure you that this would be one of Mio's wet dreams. When I was in Egypt, I drooled over _everything_. I had to be physically escorted out of Ramesses the Great's tomb in the Valley of the Kings because I wasn't strong enough to leave by myself. I would have stayed there forever if I could. For Mio to see a real princess from Japanese history is a big dream come true for her. If she wasn't so freaked out by her sixth sense screaming at her, she'd probably go all 'Winry in Rush Valley' crazy over Sara. Thats my FMA cameo for you guys.**

**I put a parallel between InuYasha and Sesshomaru in this chapter. Well, technically, InuYasha's part of this didn't appear in the chapter, but it was certainly there in the dubbed episode. Did any of you notice this?**

**I got a crochet commission half way through writing this chapter and I had to put it down. It drove me crazy while I was crochetting. All I could think about was the big rejection scene all the way through the commission.**

**Mio isn't perfect and I wanted to try and portray how, even when she tries so hard to be the good person in a situation, sometimes she falls short of that and she hates herself for falling short. She struggled with that part of her in this chapter and I enjoyed not making her perfectly nice all the time.**

**I've actually never liked Sara, but by the time I'd finished writing this chapter, I was in tears over her character. Literally, I was wiping tears from my eyes to be able to see what I was writing. Mio is such a strong character, that writing her feelings on things, even if I don't agree with them, affects me so much. She's such a sweet character. I feel so bad for putting her through all the shit I have planned for her.**


	16. Scroll Fifteen

**Assuming you haven't decided that this fic should be burned after the last chapter, welcome back and Happy New Year!**

**This chapter follows, in part, the plot of the third InuYasha movie: _Swords of an Honourable Ruler. _Any dialogue is from the English dubbed version of the film, for consistency reasons.**

**I've been so excited to get to this part. The third film is my second favourite of the InuYasha films and it holds such a great relevence to this fic. This film will be a real turning point in the fic.**

**Thank you to everyone that read the last chapter and thank you: _Scykra, BreeBrutal _and _animatedgemini _for adding this fic to their favourites or alerts. Its very much appreciated!**

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**I'll be back to my regular posting after this chapter. The next chapter will be coming out on the eighth of this month and all subsequent chapters on a weekly basis from then on, until the next set of holidays!**

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**Kagome Kagome**

Scroll Fifteen

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It wasn't easy, but after that difficult morning in the forest, life went on.

There was an expected tenseness between Lord Sesshomaru and I and it only became more tense as time went on.

It started off with little things. When I'd usually be chatting idly to him at the fire, I stayed quiet, or talked instead to Master Jaken or Rin. As days turned into a week, the little things got bigger. Lord Sesshomaru helped me untack A-Un like he usually did and I flinched away from him like I'd been burned. While travelling, instead of walking besides him like I had taken to doing when my foot allowed, I travelled almost solely on A-Un.

I had wanted to avoid any petty little reactions to the Lord after the confrontation with Lady Sara, but no matter what I did, I found myself playing into the silly sting of rejection I felt.

It only took the rest of our little group a few days to notice the change. I could tell they knew. When they thought I wasn't looking or listening, they'd give each other looks or whisper between themselves.

They held out for an entire week before finally bringing their knowledge that something was wrong to me, though.

I was cleaning out our bowls in the river when Rin and Jaken staged their intervention.

Rin stalked purposefully forwards with her little chin held high, while Master Jaken shuffled behind her, hissing her name to try and get her to stop and come up with a more concrete plan.

"Lady Mio?"

Feigning ignorance to their loud whispering as they'd made their way to me, I looked up. "Yes, honey?"

She went for the throat. "What happened between you and Lord Sesshomaru?"

Master Jaken took over here, starting off with a hesitant 'yes' then launching into his opinion. "Lord Sesshomaru has been rather... ill-tempered in the past few days. We believe that something has happened between the two of you."

We. That didn't bode well for me. The only thing more dangerous than Rin and Master Jaken fighting with each other was Rin and Master Jaken working together. That was a match made in Hell. "Nothing of consequence happened between us," I replied simply as I shook the water out of a clean bowl.

It was true. While what happened was sad, it wasn't important. Lord Sesshomaru and I didn't have to be overly friendly with each other to travel together. In the past week, he'd still been our protector the same as usual. Nothing had changed about _that_ arrangement. Lord Sesshomaru and I were mature enough to not upset the dynamic of the group much with this new development. We still worked in the same way, we still travelled just as efficiently; we were just quieter in that travel.

"But, Lady Mio, you've been sad, too," Rin muttered, looking down at my kneeling form with sad chocolate brown eyes. "We don't want you to be sad, do we, Master Jaken?"

I pushed myself to my feet and leaned down to press a kiss to Rin's forehead. "Honey, sometimes you just have to be sad. The sadness will go away in time. There's little that can be done. To be always happy is a bad thing." I tweaked her nose and winked as she gave a little smile. "I'll be back to normal in no time, and I'm sure Lord Sesshomaru will be, too."

As I walked away, I was satisfied for the moment. That was how you got away from explaining what happened to nosy friends.

Of course, getting away wouldn't be so easy.

I could distract Rin well enough, but Master Jaken wasn't so easily fooled by wise words and loose promises.

Together the two of them were a force to be reckoned with, but alone the two of them were still rather dangerous if they set their mind to something.

That evening, I was ambushed by Master Jaken while Rin slept and Lord Sesshomaru stared into the darkness on the other side of our camp.

Master Jaken took a seat next to me, setting his staff down so it leant against his chest in the protective cage of his arms and legs. We sat together in that peaceful silence for a while, before Master Jaken dared to speak. "Rin is right," he said lowly. His yellow eyes were trained on the dying fire. "You can only harbour a sadness for so long before it becomes detremental. You've become a vital part of this group and this sadness will only be a detrement to us all."

I smiled softly as I, too, gazed into the smouldering embers of the fire. "Thank you for your concern, Master Jaken, but what I told Rin was true. I'll cheer up in time. I just have to work through the sadness."

"What is it that made you this sad in the first place?"

I licked at my lips then chewed on a patch of worried skin on the inside of my lip that would likely leave a scar if I left it alone long enough heal. "I'm not one to air my dirty laundry." It was something I'd learned quickly with Saburo. When you had any form of dispute with someone, you didn't parade it around. Only bad things could come from that. I'd dealt with personal issues with the person they were with. I didn't bring others into situations that didn't need it.

The expression got me a quizzical noise. He didn't understand.

"I don't go sharing personal things, Master Jaken. What happened was between Lord Sesshomaru and I. Just know that it was me in the wrong and I'm working through it. I'll be fine soon. Now." I patted my hands against my thighs and spared Lord Sesshomaru a glance. He was staring straight at me. I dropped my gaze. "It's getting late. We should sleep so we won't be so tired tomorrow. Good night Master Jaken."

* * *

I made an effort to spend a little more time with Rin the next morning.

The two of us sat together, trying to decide what we were going to play. I said we should play a game of sea captain's orders. She wanted to challenge me at tongue twisters. Neither of us were backing down.

"Well, we'll have to settle this like adults, then, won't we?" I asked the pouting girl. "How about we play Janken to decide who wins?"

After a quick run-down of the premise and a tester game, the two of us held out our fists. "Starting with rock," we muttered together, eyes flickering between each others eyes and fists. "Janken... pon!"

I threw scissors.

Rin threw rock.

I gave a little groan of defeat.

I had a bad feeling I was going to be suffering peaches and deer all morning.

Rin didn't disappoint me.

From his spot stoking the camp's fire, Master Jaken looked upon us approvingly.

* * *

Today I walked alongside Rin as we travelled.

We played I Spy, talked about possible future meals and plans to go out foraging, even gigled to each other over Master Jaken's customary complaints. It was nice, and I felt my sadness begin to life far better than it had in the week I had actively been trying to work through the feelings.

Apparently I just needed to throw myself back into normality rather than over-think the situation and make sense of it.

"What is it, Tenseiga?"

Everyone stopped when Lord Sesshomaru asked the strange question. Rin and I shared confused looks with each other. Who was he talking to? Who was Tenseiga?

Our Lord turned, and us with him, to see a very strange sight. A pillar of bright red light was spearing the sky in the distance. "What is that?" My question was left unanswered.

* * *

Rin screamed as a shudder rocked through the earth and my immedaite reaction was to pull her into my arms.

What was that? An earthquake?

I held the shaking girl closer. "It's okay, Rin. It's okay, we're safe."

My eyes turned up to Lord Sesshomaru willingly for the first time in a week, emploring him to help. That rumble hadn't felt like an earthquake, and that red light from this afternoon was still bothering me. Were they connected? If they were connected then what was happening here was supernatural, maybe demonic. If it was, we would have to rely on Lord Sesshomaru to protect us.

"You are safe," said demon assured in a quiet tone before lifting A-Un's saddle from their back.

* * *

Lord Sesshomaru led us with a purpose the next morning. Rin and I were ordered to A-Un and led at a pace that would have had me jogging to keep up if I'd been on foot. I was thankful for the order. My foot was aching quite bad this morning.

Master Jaken squawked and pleaded with Lord Sesshomaru to slow his pace. The poor imp was just about running to keep up, though he was too proud to join Rin and I on A-Un.

The air was so tense that I didn't initiate any of the usual travelling games that Rin and I used to pass the time. Rin didn't push for them, either. Lord Sesshomaru's mood was affecting us all.

We were led into, and through a dense forest, until, eventually, Lord Sesshomaru stopped at the fringe of the forest. "Stay here. Jaken, keep them safe."

"Yes, my Lord!" Master Jaken responded immediately. As soon as our Lord was out of sight, Rin and I were off A-Un and moving towards the edge of the trees to watch him. I used Rin as a crutch. Master Jaken was just a step behind us. We were all curious about his tense mood.

"It's InuYasha," I murmured, squinting to make out more of the red-clad figure in the middle of a stand-off with Lord Sesshomaru.

"Lord Sesshomaru and InuYasha sure don't get along with each other, considering they're brothers," Rin commented as Lord Sesshomaru drew his sword.

"Why must you state the obvious, silly girl?"

I agreed with the sentiment of Master Jaken's rude response. The fact that they were brothers lent to the fact that they didn't get along. I'd never seen a set of siblings that got along with each other well. More than any other conversation topic, I heard friends with siblings complain about their most recent fight. I just assumed that siblings fought with each other constantly, but their kinship was what bought them together in times of need.

I worried the broken skin of my inner lip between my teeth as the brothers charged.

_'Please don't take this too far, Lord Sesshomaru.' _After seeing Lord Sesshomaru protect InuYasha just a week ago, I hoped that would mean that the fight wouldn't get too intense, but the debris picking up in the fight was quite substantial and, while I couldn't hear the words, I could hear the tone of Lord Sesshomaru's voice. It was the angriest I'd ever heard him. He was yelling. I'd never known him to yell.

Master Jaken and Rin screamed and ran as the two demons approached us in their fight. With the pain radiating through my leg, I couldn't hope to get up and run, so I threw myself to the side to avoid InuYasha landing on me and threw my arms up when Lord Sesshomaru swung his sword. I was caught in the draft of the demonic attack and hissed as wind and dirt pelted at my skin, tearing little lacerations over my bare arms and cutting into the thick hemp of my kosode.

The two were gone just as quickly as they came.

"Mio," Master Jaken barked. "We need to catch up to Lord Sesshomaru. Get on A-Un!"

I nodded jerkily and pushed myself painfully to my feet. As I made my way to the dragon, I wiped blood from my arms. The tears in my skin stung as I wiped at them, succeeding in only smearing the blood and staining my skin a sick red colour. I'd wash it off in a stream later when I got the chance.

We followed the path of destruction through the forest and up a rocky slope to a plateau.

A-Un couldn't get through all the boulders, so they were left behind. I used Rin as a crutch again as we travelled the last stretch. What we saw when we got to the plateau made me feel sick. Lord Sesshomaru was being pushed backwards, towards the edge of the cliff.

With a sudden burst of strength, our Lord pushed back, sending InuYasha sprawling back.

A familiar burst of crackling energy hit me and I yelled out Lord Sesshomaru's name. He'd grabbed that sword. The one that had burned him a week ago. I rushed forwards as soon as the dust cleared and I saw the man on his knees. I stumbled every few steps, but eventually made it to the man, dropping to my knees and skidding the last few inches as I reached out to his hand.

Any anger or awkwardness I had for or around him right now was forgotten, knowing that he was hurt.

"Idiot," I scolded in a breath. "Why would you do that when you know you're going to get burned?!"

The skin was red and raw, but thankfully only a little worse than it had been last week. The big reaction must have been frustration at the fight rather than the pain, I figured.

"You'll be-" I cried out when I was knocked aside with a firm arm, grunting when my elbow smacked into the rocky ground. I clutched at my elbow and winced as I sat up, uttering an oath between gritted teeth. That hurt. The pain was pretty much forgotten when an explosion of energy sent rocks pelting at me. Instintively, I threw up my already abused arms to take the brunt of the damage.

If I could ever have a duvet day here, today would be that day.

"Stay with Jaken and Rin." Lord Sessshomaru swept past me and the tail-end of his fur brushed against the burning scrapes on my forearm. I watched after him in silence.

"Lady Mio!" I blinked and ripped my gaze from the trees just as Rin's little arms wrapped around my neck and her body dropped into my lap.

"Mio! Where's Lord Sesshomaru?!" Jaken screeched, just a few steps behind Rin. He stopped at my shoulder.

"He left. He told us to stay together." I turned my gaze up to the imp as a cut up arm moved around Rin, pulling her closer to me. I buried my face in her hair. "He'll be back for us soon, I'm sure." I hoped. "Hey, hey, it's okay. Shhh." The poor girl was shaking in my lap. "Everything's okay, honey. Everything's okay."

The crunch of stone underfoot made me raise my head. I recognised the boy stood before us from last week. The purple-clad monk. "Oh! You're..." He held out a tekko-clad hand. "Come on, Rin. That's it, girl." I carefully shifted Rin aside, passing her off to Master Jaken. He looked very uncomfortable to have the girl leant against hm, but kept a brave face as I placed my cut up hand in the monk's.

He pulled me up with a little too much force and I yelped as my body pressed against his. His right hand tightened around mine and the other found the small of my back. His brown eyes held a very odd intensity as he gazed down at me. "Would you do me the honour of bearing my child?"

"Would I-?" A little giggle sounded from me as the hilarity of the question registered. Bear his child? Goodness, the only thing passing through my mind was that no one so young had hit on me in a long time! He had to be almost ten years younger than me. "Usually when I'm propositioned, it's for the act before the baby."

I went out on an almost weekly basis, to restaraunts or bars depending on Saburo and Yuto's mood. I had some pride in my appearance. I'd had my fair share of men, and even a couple of women, chat to me when Saburo wasn't beside me. People trying to get sex out of me wasn't anything new.

"Um, could we-?" I carefully pushed him away and took a half a step backwards, wincing as my foot ached with the movement. He let me go, with a slightly shocked look on his face. I didn't really care to try and decipher that look. "You were with InuYasha that day, weren't you? In the forest, with Lady Sara."

"Now, if I knew the woman I was protecting then was such a beauty, I would have certainly fought harder to keep you safe."

My lips curled up into a smile and I dipped my head in a bow. So that was a yes. He was the one that I remembered. "Thank you for then. It would have been disastrous if you hadn't stepped in. I'm Mio. You are?"

"Miroku!" a voice called out in a panic. My gaze settled on a teenaged girl wearing the strangest black and pink body suit I'd seen. She had the unconscious body of the uniform-wearing girl in her arms. "Kagome's injured and I cant get her to wake up!"

I moved forwards with a heavy gait, catching myself on large rocks to keep myself as stable as I could. "Did she pass out in the explosion?" I asked as I approached.

"I don't know."

I gave a displeased hum. "I don't see any obvious head wounds and her breathing's good." My fingers found her wrist and after a few moments, I dropped it. My fingers then delved into the girl's long black hair, combing her scalp gently for head wounds with the tips of my fingers. "Pulse is strong. What's her name?" I wasn't answered right away. "Her name?"

"I-It's Kagome. Who are you?"

Kagome? I remembered those clear blue eyes vividly from last week. They reminded me so much of that little girl from the festival so many years ago. It was a big coincidence that the two of them had the same name.

"Someone that can help." I cupped the unconscious girl's cheek. It was hot under my hand. "Kagome? Kagome, can you hear me? Kagome?" Nothing. "We need to get her laid down. We can't move her far. Just into the trees a little. Rin, Jaken! Go get A-Un!"

Getting first aid training had been important to me when I had been teaching, but it had never served me as well as it was doing now in this place. I was beyond thankful that I had the training.

"Miroku, come help carry Kagome," I ordered. I had no chance of being able to carry the girl. I couldn't even walk straight without a crutch today. The boy moved in silently with the order and between them they carried Kagome into the tree line. It didnt take the three of us long at all to find a place for us to settle the girl down. They carefully laid the girl out where I pointed.

I tipped Kagome's head back and shifted my arm under her legs. My blood smeared against the pale skin of her thighs. "Get something to prop under her legs. We need to keep them elevated." A moment later an over-stuffed yellow backpack was set under her raised legs. "Thank you." All the immediate help I could give her given, I settled back on one knee and stretched out my throbbing leg. "We just have to wait now," I murmured, brushing the girl's thick black hair from her face. "And hope that it wasn't during the explosion that she passed out. I have no idea how to treat brain damage."

The brown-haired girl nodded. "Thank you for helping her, healer. I'm Sango."

"Oh! No, I'm not a healer." I didn't know much about healing. Just basic first aid. "I'm Mio." I smiled at the girl then glanced around the area. "We picked a good place to settle her down. This'll make a decent enough camp for the night. Even if she's okay when she wakes up, she shouldn't move around too much just yet. Even if she doesn't have anything seriously wrong with her, there's still a risk of a concussion."

My hand found my throbbing calf and massaged it gently.

"I think now Kagome has been cared for, it is time to care for your own wounds, Lady Mio," Miroku pointed out as he crouched besides me. "You've got substantial cuts across your body. Come, there's water just a little way off. I'll help you to it."

I placed my hand in his outstretched one and leaned against him when he helped me up, thanking him in a murmur. I bit my lip as his hand smoothed over my hip and backside. The slap of flesh sounded and Miroku's body jerked. I hadn't been expecting it and the movement of Miroku's body caused my own body to move, shifting my weight onto my aching leg. I cried out and clung to Miroku's body, burying my face into his robes to try and muffle the sound.

Apologies sounded immediately from Sango as both she and Miroku helped me into a more comfortable position again.

"No," I responded through gritted teeth as Sango uttered her third reply. "It's okay, you don't have to apologise." I yelped loudly when I was lifted from the ground by Miroku and carried me towards the waters edge. Sango followed at the monk's shoulder.

Miroku carefully lowered me to the ground at the water's line and I leaned forwards to splash some over my bloodied skin.

"That is quite a wound if you're so incapacitated. How is it you became so crippled?" Miroku reached out to grasp a wrist gently and pull it away from my body, straightening it out over the water below. He began bathing the cuts in my arm. On my other side Sango did the same, taking my other arm and carefully cleaning out the cuts.

I settled back and allowed the two of them to work, relaxing my arms and letting my gaze flickered between the two. I was used to having little cuts looked at for me by Saburo, so I didn't think twice about allowing the two of them to work. It was strange to see the difference in the way the two of them treated the wounds, though.

Miroku had a more gentle touch and worked from my elbow down my arm in careful ministrations, dipping his hand into the water every now and then. Sango had a much more firm touch. The callouses on her fingers - absent on Miroku's larger hands - roughed the torn skin of my arm uncmofortably, but she worked at a faster and more strict pace. From wrist to elbow she worked, completely bypassing the tattoo without so much as a twitch. While Miroku worked on numerous cuts at the same time, Sango worked on each one individually before moving to the next.

They were both very different than Saburo. Saburo was more gentle than Miroku, but just as meticulous as Sango in the way he worked from one cut to the next.

I could tell so much about all three of the by the way they worked.

"Lady Mio?" Miroku prompted gently.

"Hm? Oh. I don't know exactly how it happened." I still wasn't certain about what had really caused my limp. "It's not usually so bad, though. I just have good and bad days. Sometime's walking can be easy enough, but today I'm unlucky. I think maybe it's a shard of glass that my skin's healed over - sharp enough still to tear at the flesh and cause pain."

The monk nodded thoughtfully and gave a small hum as he worked. "I see."

I chewed on my raw lip for a moment before asking a question that I'd been dying to ask since he'd helped me stand. "You're of the Rinzai zen sect, yes?"

His dark eyes turned up from my arm and he blinked slowly. Apparently he hadn't expected a conversation about his religion. "Yes, I am. You know much about Buddhism?"

"Not as much as I would like, but yes, I know my fair share." I was more familiar with the practises of where I came from, and even then it was really only the passing knowledge of what I found out in temples. I wasn't intimately knowledgable about the religion.

Sango mumbled to herself about how he lacked the personality to be a priest as she began to smear a salve onto my cuts. I winced, attention turning down to the slight sting in my skin. "I hope we get back to camp before Master Jaken does," I murmured softly, drawn away from my interest in history and into reality by the sting. "He won't be impressed if he gets to camp and-"

"Where is Mio?!"

"-finds I'm not there," I finished with a giggle. "Thank you both for this." Both teens helped me stand once Sango had finished with the salve and Miroku swept me up into his arms again. "Really, you don't have to carry me. I can manage."

The boy holding me shook his head. "Let us help you any way we can. We don't like seeing people suffer when we can help."

A little smile curled my lips. "Thank you." It only took us a second to get back to our camp grounds. "Master Jaken, I'm fine," I assured as I was set down besides Kagome's prone form. "Look, I'm even clean. They've treated me well."

More people began to trickle into camp, and soon we were quite busy. I wasn't fond of how packed the camp was. I was used to the quiet camp of six we usually had. There had to be double that here.

I curled in on myself, leaning against the tree as I blocked out all of the different conversations going on.

* * *

**Information time!**

**Air dirty laundry - **To reveal something personal that should be kept private.

**Tekko - **The protective arm-gear that Miroku and Sango both wear.

**Unconscious - **You _shouldn't_ move an unconscious person. In ordinary circumstances, don't do it. The only reason that Kagome is being moved in this situation is because of the terrain that the scene was in. Rocky, uneven ground is not a good place for an unconscious person to be. Mio chose to move Kagome the shortest distance she could to flat ground. Elevating the legs helps blood-flow to the brain.

**Rinzai - **Is one of the three major sects of Japanese Buddhism. The Rinzai sect went through the most development during the period that InuYasha is set in. There are other little things that Miroku does that tell me he's from the Rinzai zen sect. He prays to effigies throughout the series, and own prayer beads. Soto zen buddhists practises meditation without objects and Obaku zen was founded just a little too late for the time period.

* * *

**Review corner!**

**Noface - **Ahh right. There have been a lot of different theories about his clothing. Some believe that its connected with his demonic energy. Some believe that its made from the silk of a demon moth so it has the ability to repair itself. I suppose the same idea could be pondered about InuYasha's clothing, cause I cant recall the amount of times he's been stabbed or sliced through and his firerat robe has been tattered, and that always finds a way of becoming immaculate again. So maybe it is that the demonic energy from the maker of the clothes (demonic silk moth for Sesshomaru, fire rat for InuYasha) makes the cloth more sturdy and able to repair itself. Sesshomaru is shown giving Rin a kimono once in the manga, and its mentioned that he's given her at least one more before that, so its safe to assume that Sesshomaru provides the clothing for Rin, at the very least. I think with the way that Jaken is treated some time, that Jaken likely gets his own clothing from somewhere, but I can't be certain of that. Thank you so much! This chapter didn't really have much opinion on Kagome, and the next couple wont either. Mio probably wont for much of an opinion on Kagome until she's met her three or four times, so you'll have to hang tight on that one! Happy New Year!

**InuyashaReader - **A sort of blunt way of putting it, but essentially yes. Shes not shameless to _all _men. If she's comfortable enough with them to proposition them in any way, she wont care much about showing her body, like with Sesshomaru. But if bandits stumbled upon her while she was bathing, she'd have the common sense to cover herself. Her 'shamelessness' extends only to the people that she's interested in having sex with. Yes, she's, in a way, offering to mate with Sesshomaru, though she doesnt fully understand all the details about that, because she knows so little about demonology.

**Guest - **I play with your feelings because I'm a nasty bad person that likes torturing others with my work :p I'm not gonna apologise for making you feel because if you're complaining about feeling everything Mio does, then that is one of the best compliments I've gotten for my writing yet! So, instead of saying sorry, I'm going to say thank you!

**No _TheOpheliac _or _Setsuna1986 _again this chapter. If you guys read this, you're still in my thoughts and Happy New Year to you both!**

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**More Jaken time!**

**There are some very short scenes in this chapter. In some initial drafts of chapters I had scenes as short as these, but ended up editting them out. They're staying in this chapter because I dont want to write a lot of unneccessary babble to pad out some scenes. So we get a few super short scenes.**

**It's very odd to write a character without a sibling that's only speculating about how siblings work. I come from a big family, and I'm the second youngest of seven children, so I know what its like to constantly be fighting yet have some form of family bond with the at the end of the day. Writing in the mind of a single child was, I think, the biggest challenge of this chapter.**

**Something strange happened during this chapter. Through this entire fic, I've always been able to separate Mio and myself. I've always seen her as a completely different entity. But writing her being knocked aside by Sesshomaru, something changed. It was really weird, but it was like I saw myself there and couldn't find Mio in my mind at all. I bet that doesn't make any sense.**

**Some necessary Miroku-perving, too. No Inuyasha fic is complete without some Miroku-perving.**

**More history-geeking here. When Mio sees something history-like, she pounces. It was already established in the first chapter that Mio is big on going to temples and listening to their tales, just for fun. She isn't a follower of Buddhism herself, but nerds about it hard enough when she gets the chance.**


	17. Scroll Sixteen

**Back again. Second chapter of the new year. The third film will span a few chapters. This chapter, the next and very possibly the next one after that.**

**This chapter follows the plot of the third film: _Swords of an Honourable Ruler. _Any dialogue taken from the film will be taken from the English dubbed version for consistency. There is a big change in the scene with Takemaru, Rin and Kagome inside the castle.**

**Thank you _Goddess-of-the-Forest1013 _for adding Kagome Kagome to your favourites.**

**Im sorry this is a day later than I promised, but I was super busy yesterday and I just didnt have the time to post it. Hope you enjoy it despite the delay!**

**Upwards and onwards my pretties!**

* * *

**Kagome Kagome**

Scroll Sixteen

* * *

I blinked groggily. Had I fallen asleep?

"-omaru didn't abandon us, if that's what you're thinking."

"He did, though, didn't he?" a soft voice questioned.

Rin gave an affirmative and Master Jaken began squawking. I rubbed at my tired eyes and asssessed the scene in front of me. Sango and Kagome were both sat up not too far away from me. "You're awake," I murmured, shifting from my spot so I could move towards the blue-eyed girl on my knees. Sango's hand found my shoulder, ready to support me if I needed it. "How are you feeling? Can you tell me your name? Your age?"

Behind us, Master Jaken and Rin got into a little squabble between themselves. For now I ignored it in favour of carefully looking over the girl in front of me. Without a powerful light, I couldn't effectively check her pupil reactions, but she wasn't looking very sluggish.

Blue eyes blinked down at me. "You're that woman from last week."

"Well, your memory seems intact. You're not slurring. Can you tell me your name?" She muttered her name. "Good, that's good. Do you have a headache or any pain?" A little shake of her head. "I think you'll be okay. I don't think there'll be any lasting damage." Thank goodness. I honestly didn't know what I would do if the girl suffered any brain damage. I couldn't just call for the emergency services here.

Rin appeared at my shoulder, looking nervous for a moment before she stepped around me and held out a bundle to Kagome. "Have these."

The package fell open to reveal dozens of beads. Ones that Kagome recognised. "You mean you gathered them up?"

The little girl nodded. "I'm not really sure if they're all there, though." When she was thanked, the girl smiled bashfully and threw her arms behind her back. Her toes stubbed in the dirt. "Sure, and thank you for saving Master Jaken and I, earlier."

"Oh, Rin." I held out my arms and the girl curled up by my side, leaning against me happily. "That was very sweet of you."

Conversation went on around us that I largely ignored until a voice came from a tiny creature that I just couldn't ignore. Was that... a flea?

An old man spoke from the larger of the two camp fires. "As I recall, you said you could seal So'unga for seven hundred years."

It was a spirit that answered as he appeared from behind a big root. "Oh? Did _I _say that?" A real spirit. Incredible...

"Tell me," Kagome asked the spirit. "What was So'unga doing at our family's shrine in the first place?"

"Here we go," the flea spoke from a seated position on a swordless sheath propped up against a tree root. I tilted my head curiously. "Might as well tell the story. This goes back about two hundred years. Back to the time when InuYasha's father died."

The story that he told was interesting, and I hung onto every word. So those strange names that had been cropping up - Tetsusaiga, Tenseiga and So'unga - they were the names of swords of Sesshomaru's father. I had been right, then... Lord Sesshomaru wanted the sword gifted to InuYasha rather than his own sword. Know that my theory had been right was a bitter pill to swallow. I had really thought Lord Sesshomaru wasn't that petty.

"The So'unga which their father weilded, along with the Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga, were known as the three swords of supreme conquest. Together they held the power to dominate the three worlds."

Kagome questioned the three world, and it was Miroku that spoke up in answer. "He's speaking of Heaven, Hell and Earth. They're often referred to as the three worlds." He reached forwards to pick up a small stick and scratched kanji into the dirt, explaining with each new character. "Heaven is where the Buddha and gods reside. Hell is the netherworld; the land of the dead, and Earth is where we reside."

I was impressed by Miroku's ability to write, but admired the written words silently. The atmosphere was heavy; it didn't seem like the time to speak up with a history-geek's compliments on being literate.

The old man spoke again. "Each sword corresponds to one of the three worlds. The Tenseiga of Heaven can save a hundred lives." Save a hundred lives? I remembered Lord Sesshomaru speaking to Tenseiga not long ago. Was that what bought me back to life? The sword? He spoke on. "The So'unga of Hell can open the gateway to the netherworld and summon a hundred dead souls. The Tetsusaiga, the guardian of men, can fell a hundred enemies."

"And InuYasha's father possessed all three swords?" Sango asked.

That was a lot of power for one man to have at his fingertips. He must have been an incredible man to be able to possess such power.

Kagome prompted the men telling the story to continue. The flea continued now. "We couldn't think of a good way to dispatch the sword. We were in a real predicament." He told us of their discussion about the sword. I wasn't particularly impressed with their poor thoughts about Lord Sesshomaru, but kept quiet. Surprisingly, Master Jaken also kept quiet. He was just as interested in knowing what was going on.

"The bone eater's well?" I came to life, sitting straight up at the mention of something that I knew. "What do you know of the bone eater's well?"

That question got a lot of curious gazes. "We used it to dispose of the sword. Once it was thrown into the well, it disappeared," the flea told me.

Disappeared... Things thrown into the well disappeared. I knew that well enough. "I see..."

"Lady Mio... What is it you know of the well?" Sango asked carefully.

My eyes snapped up to her and I opened my mouth to answer, but hesitated. Who would believe me? I hardly believe that it had happened to me and I was there. But... I turned my gaze to Kagome. She wore a junior high uniform. Maybe... "The well... The other side of it..." How could I explain? Succinct was probably the best way forwards."I was in a place called Tokyo when I first saw the bone-eater's well. In a shrine-"

"The Higurashi shrine," Kagome cut in. "You're from my time! I've never known anyone else to go through the well before, besides InuYasha. Maybe it's because of the shard in your foot!"

"The _what _in my foot?" I shifted both of my feet under me so they weren't in view any more.

"You don't know? You have a shard of the Jewel of Four Souls in your foot. It must be what's making you limp so bad. Maybe if we can get it out, you won't limp."

The Jewel of Four Souls? This wasn't the first time the jewel had been mentioned since I had come here. I felt uneasy at the mention of it, though. "I, um-"

Miroku came to my rescue. "Perhaps now isn't the time, Lady Kagome. The evil of the So'unga resting over our heads is more important at the moment than retreiving one more shard."

The girl looked put out for a moment, before conceding with a nod. "Is there any way at all for us to defeat So'unga?"

The spirit thought over the question for a moment. "There is just one, but yes. Using Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga. Pitted with either one, So'unga will be stronger, but with the two swords combined, it is possible that they can overcome So'unga."

"With the Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga?" the girl confirmed. "So InuYasha and Sesshomaru need to join forces."

The comment bought a big reaction from Master Jaken. He laughed long and hard. "Lord Sesshomaru join forced with InuYasha? Are you crazy? Hell will freeze over before that happens!" Dull notions of agreement sounded throughout camp.

"From what I've heard, we may just be dealing with Hell," I murmured softly. Didn't So'unga have the ability to raise souls from the netherworld? If left out in the open, the sword would start bringing the souls of Hell to Earth, wouldn't it? "They may have no choice."

After a moment of defeat Kagome had an idea. "Hey, how about this, Saya? Can't you manage to seal the So'unga one more time?"

The spirit turned away from us. "Don't be unreasonable. I've hung in there for a thousand years. I'm exhausted."

A thousand years? Wasn't it just two hundred?

"Kagome," the old man sighed. "I wouldn't pin my hopes on him."

"Quite so," the flea pitched in. "Saya is hardly the reliable type."

The three reminded me of grumpy old friends; three old men that all knew each other and their pitfalls, poked mercilessly at said pitfalls, but stayed together as friends despite them.

* * *

"I don't think I can untack you boys tonight." I rubbed at both A and Un's cheeks gently. "I don't know what's going to happen. We might need to leave quickly at any time. I've got a feeling something very dangerous is happening."

Both dragons gave low, rumbling growls as they bumped their heads against my palms. "I promise next time we find camp, I'll leave you untacked until the very last minute. How does that sound, huh?" They both seemed to like that idea.

"So you're from my time."

I looked up from the dragon as Kagome moved towards me. My eyes flickered over the camp. Most everyone was busy around their own campfires, chatting to each other. There were two fires within camp; one that our group was curled around and a larger one that laid home to the rest of the camp not too far away. I could only guess that Master Jaken had decided to keep us separated.

"Yes, I think so. 1996?" The girl nodded and cast a wary eye to A-Un as I pet the two of them. "They're quite safe," I assured. "Sometimes I picture them as giant puppies. If they like you, they really like you. Come on and pet them." She hesitated before stepping forward to pet A's forhead gently. "You wouldn't see any creature like this at a petting zoo, would you?"

She gave a quite giggle as A butted against her hand, demanding more attention. "I never thought things like this existed until I was bought here. Demons and dragons and mystical jewels were alll just fantasy stories that my grandpa used to tell me and my brother. I never thoguht anything like this would really exist. But being here-"

"It's incredible," I finished for her. "It's confusing and primitive and scary and _horrible_ and absolutely incredible." I pressed a kiss to Un's snout. "I must have spent two months here already and it's been such an experience."

"Two months? Haven't you gone home?"

Gone home? "Can I?" The thought excited me a little. I had the chance to get back to Tokyo?

"Didn't you know? The bone-eater's well can take us back to Tokyo just like it brings us here."

So I really could get back there. "When this is over, when So'unga is dealt with, I think I might, then. It'll be nice to see the city again after so long." I could go back to Shibuya; spend the night in my own bed again. A bed... I could eat chocolate again and cook in an oven, or on a hob.

The more I thought about it, the more excited about the prospect I became.

* * *

Dinner time was initially quite a tense thing. We didn't forage and the water that we were near didn't have any decent fish in it, so Master Jaken, Rin and I were reduced to eating the few nuts that I had in my pack.

Seeing our meagre meals, Kagome had invited us to join them for dinner, enticing us (quite well in my opinion) with ramen. I hadn't had ramen in too long. Master Jaken had shot the girl down immediately, telling her that we didn't need her help at all. We were perfectly fine as we were.

Rin and I had crossed boundaries from Camp Sesshomaru into Camp InuYasha, while Master Jaken stubbornly stayed behind.

I almost melted into the ground when I was handed a cup of hot and spicy shrimp ramen and a pair of chopsticks. The groan I let out when the spice touched my tongue was almost sexual. My cheeks flushed as numerous pairs of eyes fell on me. "It's been a long time," I murmured in explanation. I'd lived on nuts and fish and mushrooms for months now. Having something that was actually spicy and flavourful was incredible.

"I couldn't imagine sepding two months without ramen," Kagome commented.

"Yeah, Kagome's ninja food is the best," said a little boy with a tail almost as large as himself. He was introduced as Shippo a moment later.

Rin and Shippo latched onto each other, chatting happily between themselves.

"You're also from the other side of the well," Sango commented as she stirred her noodles. "If you're much like Kagome, this must be a rather strange place for you."

I wiped a line of sauce from Rin's chin and stroked her hair back gently. "I've grown into it. There are some things that are still difficult, but for the most part I've been doing all right." I'd managed to fall into life here fairly well. I was doing well enough with life now. I could find myself food and clean myself when I needed to. Other than that, with the way that we travelled, I didn't need much else.

Our conversation continued; we spent a good deal of time chatting idly about the differences between here and Tokyo and how we were dealing with them. Kagome gifted me with a comb after a comment was made about my hair and I think I may have cried when I finally managed to comb out the last knot in my hair. Being able to run my hand through my hair, which had grown out a bit now to my great distaste, was a heavenly experience. I'd have to cut it again, soon. I didn't like having long hair. Short hair was much easier to deal with.

We all chatted until I felt Rin's little head drop onto my shoulder.

That signalled the end of the evening.

Miroku carried the girl back to Camp Sesshomaru for me, while Sango helped me walk across to the other fire. I held tightly to the half finish cup of noodles that I'd had in my lap for the majority of the evening.

I thanked the two teens in a whisper as I tucked Rin's dochuugi around her.

Before settling down myself, I handed the half-empty cold ramen noodles to Master Jaken. I couldn't have let him just eat nuts while we feasted on ramen.

He looked up at me with a tearful admiration before digging into the cool meal.

* * *

Tired as I was, a few hours later I was still awake, leant against a tree and staring into the dead firepit of Camp Sesshomaru. I twisted the warm skein of hair that I always kept safely in my bra around my fingers, staring down at the silver colour in the dark.

"You should sleep."

My hand clenched around the silver hair as I gazed down at the little creature that had hopped onto my foot. "I don't think I can right now, Master Myoga." My mind was running wild. Too wild to sleep. This was the first night I could remember that Lord Sesshomaru wasn't with us, watching over our camp. He was off somewhere alone, with a nasty burn on his hand, while there was a sword from Hell on the loose. "Do you think they'll be able to do it?"

"Who knows? Those two are stubborn boys. They may not work together as they should. Then it'll be impossible."

I began chewing on the inside of my lip. "He has sense," I assured myself in a mumble. Lord Sesshomaru had the sense to work with his brother to bring down such a big threat... didn't he? He was certainly childish at times, but he wasn't stupid. His sense had to be a bigger part of him than his childishness. Right?

"You have a lot of faith in Sesshomaru." There was no admiration in his quiet voice. The flea thought my faith in the man was misplaced.

"Yeah." My fingers uncurled so I could gaze down at the skein of hair. "Yeah, I do."

* * *

The next days travelling started with a quiet argument between Master Jaken and I. I thought it was a good idea to stay with Camp InuYasha until we both found our demons. With the upcoming fight, it was common sense to stay together. We'd most likely find Lord Sesshomaru and his brother together. Master Jaken thought otherwise, but eventually we came to an agreement.

We would travel in the same direction as them. Close to them, but not in their little band.

We flew perhaps twenty metres away from them on A-Un's back and travelled like that through the day.

Lunch was a quick affair with very limited conversation. Camp InuYasha decided that they were going to fight, and help InuYasha in any way that they could. Master Jaken muttered to himself about helping Lord Sesshomaru in the same way.

A fight was looming.

* * *

We found ourselves stood on a grassy cliff above a frightening sight near sundown. A castle surrounded by an army.

An _army_.

It hit me like a lead weight to the gut. We were going to war. This was no simple fight. This would be an all-out war, and our side wasn't in favour with less than a dozen people.

"This is it?" I asked in dread. How could they possibly defeat all those people?

"That's one very large army," Totosai commented, not helping my worry at all.

"A large army of dead soldiers," Miroku added.

I wrapped my arm around Rin, pulling her closer to me for comfort. Could they do it? Could the handful of fighters we had win this battle and end So'unga's threat? I didn't know how well any of the fighters on our side of this battle could fight. I'd never witnessed them fight.

Rin leant against me at my gentle coaxing, turning her head so her face was pressed into my neck. I rubbed at her arm. "We'll be okay," I murmured softly. "We will."

"There must be two thousand of them," Miroku guessed. "Excluding Myoga, Rin, Lady Mio and Mo-Mo from the battle, there are eight of us, plus two demons. That's two hundred soldiers for each of us."

Two hundred soldiers each? No matter how incredible their fighting ability was, no one could defeat two hundred people. Two hundred against one couldn't be possible.

Things were looking more hopeless and the nerves were getting to everyone. People shifted uneasily as they stared down at the army that we'd soon be facing.

No. I couldn't give in to my nerves. I had to have faith in everyone. They'd find a way to do this. I just wish I wasn't so helpless. I wanted to be able to help. My head tilted up when I felt a few wet spatters against my cheeks. Rain. It had just begun to rain as we prepared for battle.

That didn't bode well.

Still, people began to ready themselves. I laid a hand on Master Jaken's shoulder. He looked up at me, worry etched onto his expression. He was terrified.

"We can do this," I assured him with a firm squeeze. "_You_ can do this. You're a strong and incredibly powerful demon, Master Jaken. You and that staff have bought down countless demons protecting Rin and I, and even more before that. Crossed through three thousand worlds, right?" We both cracked a little smile in memory of the ridiculous moment by the river with the wolf boys. "Anyone that has managed that can fight bravely. I have faith in you." I leaned forwards and engulfed him in a tight hug. "I believe in you. Just be safe, Master Jaken."

I pulled away and turned so I was facing everyone.

Everyone was nervous and no one was stepping forwards to try and calm those nerves, so I bolstered myself up to give the best pep talk I could. I'd been giving pep talks for years, but talking to my university dorm mates, or the students in my class felt nothing like this pep talk.

"We can do this." I used my teacher voice. As if that voice was magical, everyone turned to look at me. I shifted uncomfortably for a moment before squaring myself. "This... this is a war. This fight is going to be hard for everyone here." We all had a lot to lose here. "But fortune favours the brave and no one is more brave than you for facing this battle. I have faith that all of you will do your best. We can do this."

The silence of the handful of people before me had me panicking for a moment before Miroku inclined his head. "Heartening words, Lady Mio. We'll take them into battle with us."

I nodded in thanks as a few people in our group muttered sentiments along a similar line.

Behind me, down in the midst of the army, I heard an explosion. I felt the power of the attack from here. That was either Lord Sesshomaru or InuYasha.

The battle had begun. "Let's do this."

We all mounted our respective animals and shared a heavy glance between us before pushing off the cliff.

I held tight to Rin as A-Un took us down towards the army. Master Jaken's flames licked through the army, felling them all. Moments later, though, they just stood back up as if they'd been pushed down rather than burned to death. Still, Master Jaken fought on with Rin yelling encourageent into his ear.

He tired out eventually, and so did A-Un. We found a place to touch down, a little ways away from the fighting so the three of them could take a much-needed rest. I rubbed the panting imp's back gently, uttering words of encouragement.

"That's Lord Sesshomaru's sword."

My head snapped up at Rin's comment and I was sliding off A-Un's back as soon as I heard Rin's feet touch the ground. "Rin!" I threw myself over her when a soldier swung his sword towards us and waited for the sword to slice through my back. The soldier was thrown back by the force of one of Kagome's magic arrows.

"Thank you, Kago-" I wasn't entirely to my feet, and hadn't entirely finished my thanks when a massive hand wrapped around my and the little girl in front of me, crushing us together with a painful force as we were lifted from the ground. Rin gave a scared cry and I wrapped my arms tightly around her.

"What is this thing?!" Kagome cried out as she was lifted in the creature's other hand.

Saya, floating at Kagome's shoulder, called across to Rin. "You there, Rin. Listen to me. It's the Tenseiga the demon is after."

She wouldn't give the sword up, I knew, before her little arms wrapped tighter around the sword in her grasp. I, in turn, wrapped my arms tighter around her. "No!" she yelled out. "This belongs to Lord Sesshomaru."

I cringed as the demon began to move, jostling us and squeezing Rin and I viciously with each step. Rin screamed out for our Lord as I finally gave into the pain the pressure of the demon's hand was giving me and sobbed quietly.

We were taken up the cliff and into the castle.

By the time Rin and I were dropped into a heap on deteriorated tatami mats and Kagome thrown down next to us, I was trying hard to stop the tears from streaming down my cheeks. The occasional tear streaked over my skin. My torso and arms were going to be one big bruise soon. I could feel the burning, throbbing pain in my skin already as I pushed myself from the ground and wiped at my cheeks.

"Who is that?" Kagome murmured.

My blearly eyes flickered up to the end of the room, where a man was sat. A demon? He had a horn curving from his forehead and the strangest coloured markings on his skin. That spoke demon to me, if nothing else.

Saya's voice was fast and scared. "It's Takemaru of Setsuna. He fought with InuYasha's father two hundred years ago. This is most unexpected. So'unga has possessed Takemaru."

I swallowed back as much of my fear as I could as I pulled Rin closer. My hands were shaking and my eyes were still filling with pained tears.

A deep, disembodied voice sounded in the room, addressing the demon man. "Takemaru, these young girls are no different than Izayoi, the woman you killed." He'd killed a woman... The coaxing talk from the disembodied voice had fear bubbling in my chest and clogging my throat. The voice was trying to get Takemaru to kill us. Was this the sword? So'unga?

"Who's Izayoi?" Kagome asked, seemingly fearless in the face of danger.

Saya answered with the same lack of care. "InuYasha's mother."

"You mean he's the guy who killed InuYasha's mother?"

How could they have a conversation right now? I could hardly breathe.

"Just imagine," continued that deep bodiless voice, "how InuYasha and Sesshomaru would react if you killed those girls."

Takemaru stood, and with him so did I. I didn't know what I could do, but I couldn't just let a man being convinced to kill us to get his hands on two girls. Rin and Kagome had so much of their lives ahead of them. Rin was a child and Kagome just a teenager. I couldn't let those two die.

I threw my arm out in front of Kagome and Rin and stepped backwards, pushing Kagome back against Rin. "Keep her safe," I whispered. "If it comes to it, please, just get her out of here safely."

"No, what about you?" A hot hand fisted in the torn material of my kosode.

"You two are the priority right now," I hissed back. "If you two can get out, then do it, all right?"

The So'unga raised and touched my chin before levelling just before my throat. My body shook as I presed further back against Kagome. Takemaru's yellow and red eyes met mine and my breath caught. I couldn't breathe at all. My head began to swim as his words seeped into my mind. "You are all Izayoi to me. Human women like you who share an affinity for demons are all Izayoi in my eyes!" he was yelling by the end of his statement and I wrapped my arms around myself, waiting for the inevitable.

Something firm pressed against my forearm and I bit the inside of my lip.

Tahei's kaiken... I always kept it in my sleeve to use for cooking, mostly. Slowly, as the sword at my throat trembled in Takemaru's anger, I slid my hand into my sleeve. The sweat on my palm made the wood slick, but I gripped it tight and carefully, slowly, began to withdraw it from its sheath.

I ducked when Takemaru's hand twitched, abandoning the half-drawn kaiken and pushing Kagome aside. The three of us bolted while we had the chance, running towards the only door in the room. I bumped right into Kagome when she stopped to take a stand. "What are you doing?" I pushed at her. "Go! Get Rin out of here now!"

The teen hesitated as I stepped in front of her, unsheathing the kaiken and holding it out towards the man with a shaking hand. "Go!" I roared at her. That got her feet moving.

"That piece of scrap metal is no help to you." Takemaru raised his sword above his head. The pommel hit my sternum hard and I screamed in pain as I was thrown back against the wall. The world faded for a second, and when it came into focus again, Rin was yelling at Takemaru.

"Kagome," I choked out, bracing myself back against the wall and pushing myself shakily to my feet. "Get Rin out of here."

Rin smiled bravely at me over her shoulder. "Don't worry, Lady Mio! Lord Sesshomaru will come and save us. I'm positive."

I shook my head and grabbed the back of Rin's sash, throwing her to the side as Takemaru stopped before me. Rin cried out in pain as she hit the ground and I apologised in my mind as I raised my eyes to meet Takemaru's murderous gaze. "Resign yourselves to death and enter the netherworld."

I felt sick as his sword raised above his head again. His eyes were cold, and I felt tears filling my own. This was it. There was no Lord Sesshomaru here to save me like all the times I'd been in trouble before. I didn't have my blade in my hand to even attempt to defend myself. There was no ray of hope. This was my third and final death. No one could save me from my body being cleaved in two by the blade of Hell.

I sobbed, squeezing my eyes shut and raising my head skywards as tears tracked down my cheeks. In my last moments, I said goodbye to all I loved.

Goodbye Master Jaken.

Goodbye A and Un.

Goodbye Lord Sesshomaru.

And Goodbye Rin.

Thank you. I love you all.

* * *

**Information time!**

**Kanji - **One of the three Japanese 'alphabets'. Kanji are usually quite complex, Chinese characters that have been bought into the Japanese language.

* * *

**Review corner**

**Guest - **I dont think Sesshomaru is the type to ever apologise about anything; a huge flaw in his character.

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**Lots of canon scenes going on here. I hope you guys can grin and bare all the canon crap going on around Mio. I promise there'll be a bit more interesting stuff going on soon. We'll get Sesshomaru's input soon, too. I know you guys love seeing Sesshomaru's viewpoint here.**

**Big bit for Mio. She finds out about the bone-eaters well.**

**And I found out I was wrong. I've been using 1995 as a reference for this fic, but actually looking at the printing date of InuYasha, it's 1996. Thankfully, all I used from that time period still stands, so I dont have to change anything.**

**I don't know how well I managed to get the atmosphere of a war in this chapter. I hope I managed to do it to a satisfactory degree, and I hope I managed to show you just how brave and self-sacrificing Mio is in the face of danger. She would give her life for just about anyone that had a life ahead of them.**

**Well enjoy the cliffhanger, see you next week!**


	18. Scroll Seventeen

**I know, I know, you all hate me for that cliffhanger.**

**Can I redeem myself by saying that there's some Sesshomaru perspective in this chapter?**

**This chapter follows the plot of the third film: _Swords of an Honourable Ruler. _All dialogue taken from the film is taken from the dubbed version for consistency. I'm not including every scene in the film. If you wanna know what happens in the moments I don't write about, watch the film. I'm only including the parts that Mio's involved in.**

**Thank you to everyone that read the last chapter and thank you _Lady Amazon, Trinabear, Twilight Dark Angel, TimeLady S0nya _and _ .you.519 _for adding this story to your alerts. It means a lot!**

**Off we go!**

* * *

**Kagome Kagome**

Scroll Seventeen

* * *

The deafening clang of metal on metal rang in my ears and slowly, fearfully, I opened my eyes.

"O-Oh, fuck," I gasped when I came face-to-face with two incredibly sharp blades and two murderously angry faces. Lord Sesshomaru had come. Lord Sesshomaru had saved my life. My body felt weightless as I slumped back against the wall, watching as Lord Sesshomaru held back the sword that was going to cleave me in two with his own sword. Metal rattled as my Lord's hand shook with the effort.

With a heave, Lord Sesshomaru threw Takemaru back and pivotted on his heel, standing with his back to me and his sword raised. "Begone. Go quickly," Lord Sesshomaru ordered me. "You'll only be in my way here."

A warm hand found my shoulder and with a wary smile, Kagome helped me stand and began to lead me towards the door. After our first few unsteady steps, I shook her off and came to a stop, facing the two demons.

Rin, too, had her need to stay for just a minute longer. She raised the sword in her grasp. "Lord Sesshomaru, your sword."

Our Lord spared her just a flicker of a glance. "Hurry and go," he ordered.

She nodded and set his sword down carefully before darting off obediently.

"Thank you." Once again his eyes flickered over his shoulder and met with mine I chewed on the inside of my lip and wrung my hands together nervously. "Please, be safe, Lord Sesshomaru. Please."

Rin called my name from the door and I hesitated for a moment, keeping his golden gaze, before turning to limp to the door.

Rin's hand found mine and squeezed. I squeezed back as the three of us made our way down the stairs. I rubbed genty at my chest as the bruise blooming there gave a painful ache.

The demon that had bought us to the castle was waiting for us on the next floor. It slapped Kagome hard and she fell back with a cry. Rin and I rushed forwards as beads scattered everywhere. The demon had her up in the air before either of us reached the teen.

Beads sailed past my shoulder as Rin yelled at the demon. I would have yelled at her if the beads hadn't made the demon's skin steam on impact. The beads injured it? Kagome dropped to the ground and I dropped to my knees to check her over. She had a little red mark around her neck from where her clothes had choked her, but otherwise she was no worse for wear.

As the demon thundered towards us, Kagome and I collected up beads.

The both of us threw the beads, and the both of us missed. I grit my teeth and pressed my hand to my left arm. The deep bruising on it was aching badly.

"Lousy time to be a klutz," our saviour growled as he stormed up the stairs. InuYasha cleaved the demon in two with the Tetsusaiga and I breathed a sigh of relief. "Can't do anything with out me," he grunted as the three of us moved towards him. "Just like I said. Don't tell me that was one of your sports."

Sports? Did he think that bead throwing was something we did back in Tokyo?

"Can you please help?" Rin asked, stepping towards our Lords brother. "Lord Sesshomaru hasn't come out yet."

That seemed to annoy the boy. "Showing off by himself? Damn him!" InuYasha rushed forwards. He stopped half way up the stairs when Kagome called out to him. "Don't try to stop me. I've got business to settle with So'unga and this is my only chance."

"Just listen to me!"

His lips twitched in annoyance. "What do you want? Huh?"

"There's only one way to destroy So'unga. With Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga. Those two sword have to join forces to defeat So'unga."

Of course! I'd compeltely forgotten about that in my brush with Takemaru. I hadn't had the chance to tell Lord Sesshomaru...

The two teenagers argued between each other as I begna to fret, worried that Lord Sesshomaru woudn't be able to succeed without the knowledge to defeat So'unga.

* * *

His brother was a disgusting, pitiful show-off.

InuYasha had blundered in with _his _fang raised, attempting to shoulder into the fight with the man that had _his_ So'unga and had tried to kill a member of _his _pack_._

"I'm a _half _demon," Inuyasha declared with _pride. _How ridiculous. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed into sharp golden slits. "Humans are more arrogant and greedy than any other living creature and I'm part human, too, which is why I refuse to give up. On top of that, when a human has someone he's gotta protect, his power grows exponentially."

Protect? Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed further.

The parallels between his brother and father in that moment were unsettling. Both preached so shamelessly about such human things has protecting the weak. They both put so much effort into protecting humans. _Why_?

A vivid memory of Mio smiling up at him flashed before his eyes.

He shook the thought away before it even had the chance to grow.

Humans were pathetic and weak. Why did they both see so much importance in them?

"I have what it takes to destroy you, all thanks to my human mother!" How could his pitiful brother show so much strength? Even he had struggled to push the spectre away. InuYasha had managed to throw him through a dilapidated wall. Irritation gnawed at him.

Now the human was moved by Inuyasha's speech, laying placidly against the wall, spilling his feelings in a despairing tone; declaring his love. Humans were so fickle. With just a few words they could change their mind.

Tenseiga pulsed in his grip and Sesshomaru stepped forwards. He felt something under his foot before he got to his intended destination and glanced down. His eyes strayed down to the object again when he realised he recognised it. The kaiken that Mio toted. The weapon she used for menial tasks. He crouched and retreived the blade. It was without sheath. Had she been stupid enough to attempt to use this against the vile human So'unga had possessed? His hand clenched tightly around the grip. He had believed the woman had a greater sense of self-preservation than that.

As he drew to his feet, he tucked the blade into his sleeve. She'd appreciate its safe return.

Once again, Tenseiga pulsed, impatiently this time, reminding him. He strode again forwards to the human. Messengers from the underworld scuttled around the corpse. With a flick of his wrist, he sent them fleeing. Tenseiga could not revive a skeleton.

Takemaru of Setsuna, the human vermin, was dead and would never return.

So'unga the sword of Hell was still very much alive and growing desperate in it's desire for destruction.

The fight was only just beginning.

As InuYasha began barking at him, he sheathed his father's fang.

"Look again," he murmured as the castle began to collapse around them. "It's not over yet."

So'unga staged its next attack.

* * *

I clung tight to Un's neck as the dragon followed behind the line of people running from the destruction of the castle. Every stride of the dragon jolted my bruised body and sent searing pain through me, but I bit my tongue against the yelps.

When we were far enough away from the mess that we were somewhat safe, I slumped against the dragon, pressing my forehead into messy fur. I hurt all over.

When the group began yelling at each other in frantic voices about the gates of Hell, I raised my head. The terrian was changing. From the hill the castle was on a spiral of dirt and rock was climbing towrds the sky. I was exhausted and the situation was only getting worse.

Kagome sprinted towards the edge of the cliff the rearranging of the landscape had created. Sango and Totosai were at her sides. Pained, but unhealthily curious, I moved from A-Un and approached the cliff.

"What the..." The valley the gates of hell had created was enormous and filled with a writhing mass of bodies. A chill shot down my spine. The cold seeped into my very bones. My body collapsed into itself, forcing me to my knees. I clutched at myself as my head bowed.

I was so cold.

Besides me, Rin whimpered, clutching at herself in a perfect reflection of the way I was holding myself together. "It's so cold, Master Jaken," her little voice whimpered.

Our imp jumped up in a panic. "Come on, Saya, can't you do something?!" he demanded.

"I'm already doing everything in my power," the spirit responded.

I reached out for Rin, pulling her towards me. Her usually hot skin felt like ice against my own cold skin as I held her to my chest. Holding her against me, I just felt colder, but I couldn't let her go. I couldn't let her go on feeling cold and alone. I couldn't let myself feel cold and alone either.

"It's okay, Rin," I breathed through chattering teeth. "It won't stay this cold. We'll be fine."

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Master Jaken cried, and we all raised our heads to see what was happening.

I looked on in despair as the two brothers shoulder each other away from the sword they were fighting, determined to be the one that won. They weren't working together. They were fighting each other as much as they were fighting the sword. They needed to start working together if we wanted to win.

With great effort I pushed myself to my feet. Rin whispered my name, looking up at me with pained brown eyes as I limped a step towards Lord Sesshomaru.

Lord Sesshomaru hadn't been told that he needed to work with Inuyasha to win this battle. I'd go out there and tell him, the safety of my soul be damned.

A body pressed against my side when I began a limping stride forwards. My eyes met determined blue ones and Kagome and I gave each other determined grim looks. We'd make sure our demons knew they had to work together, no matter what it took.

Kagome paused to pick up a bow and arrow from a fallen soldier and then the two of us carried on, up a rocky hill towards the battle. We stumbled, catching ourselves with our hands and pushing ourselves up just to carry on as fast as we could towards them. We couldn't let ourselves fall to clumbsiness right now. We had an important job to do.

The girl leaned heavily against my side and yelled out her demon's name when we reached a small rocky outcrop. It was the closest we could get to the two of them. InuYasha yelled out her name in return.

"You've gotta join forces with Sesshomaru, please!" His angry retort had me hanging my head. This was their one chance to win this fight. How could he be so stubborn? Kagome changed tactics and turned her attention instead to my Lord. "Sesshomaru! Work with Inuyasha."

With his back to us, Lord Sesshomaru didn't even glance back at Kagome as he sprinted forwards to attack the sword. Now wasn't the time for him to ignore us. "Lord Sesshomaru," I yelled out. "Please! The only way to defeat So'unga is for Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga to work together. _Please._"

I was ignored and I slumped down in defeat.

Besides me Kagome gave an angry huff and shuffled around so she could raised her bow. "You two can be such idiots sometimes!" The arrow she shot glowed with a magnificent blue light before it hit So'unga.

Beneath our feet, the outcrop began to crumble. I threw my arms out to catch myself on the crumbling cliff. A little cry tore from my throat as my bruised arms and back throbbed in protest. I scrambled desperatelly to keep my grasp, but with every second that passed, I felt myself slipping more and more.

No!

I'd survived a confrontation with the blade of Hell. I wasn't going to let myself die by falling off the edge of a cliff. One hand slipped and I screamed as my body jerked, dangling from the cliff's face. Tears blurred my vision as my bruised shoulder throbbed.

Hands clutched at each sleeve of my kosode and between them, InuYasha and Kagome pulled me to safety.

"Thank you," I whimpered, leaning into Kagome's body as she wrapped an arm around me.

InuYasha pulled the sheath from his sash and held it out to Kagome. "Hold into this. It'll protect you. At least for a little while."

The ground around us rumbled as the earth began to shift again and Kagome and I held tightly to each other. This was terrifying.

InuYasha leapt away from us, and was thrown back by the force of an attack from So'unga. Kagome pulled me to my feet and the two of us huddled together behind InuYasha's back as he held off an incredible force. The hairs on my arms and the back of my neck were standing on end. I felt sick.

He yelled out an attack and the force of it threw him back into us. We supported him as the three of us dropped to our knees.

"Damn," the boy grunted as he pushed against us, using the momentum to push himself to his feet. "I missed him."

I chewed on my lip as I looked up at the boy. He had such incredible power. I'd worked with boys his age for years, and not once had I ever thought a boy could hold so much power. Yet this boy was protecting us with a power that left me breathless.

"I'll definitely be back," he promised. "Wait here, the both of you."

Kagome and I both gave little nods as he leapt from the cliff.

Then the two of us watched the fight with baited breath. The three of them just traded bllows, none gaining the upper hand. I squeezed Kagome's hand as she clutched tighter to the Tetsusaiga's sheath. "They'll do it," I breathed. "They're both strong men. They'll be able to do it." I hoped. I so desperately hoped that I was right.

The bravado was forgotten quickly when a cloud of dust sprung up around an attack directed at Lord Sesshomaru. "No!" I screamed, lurching forwards. "Lord Sesshomaru!"

No. No! That attack couldn't have hit him. He couldn't lose this battle.

I collapsed back on weak legs, right into Kagome's waiting arms when the dust cleared. He was safe. He was knelt down and panting heavily, but he was alive. "Fuck," I breathed gently, rubbing at my sore eyes with the heels of my hands. "Oh fuck." I'd given up the usual tight reign I had on my tongue. Between almost dying and watching that last attack, I didn't have it in me to be my usual self. "I can't watch. I can't." I couldn't watch another attack like that directed at my Lord. I wasn't strong enough to watch him fall.

* * *

Laid on the ground, InuYasha grunted a deep, angry sound. "It ain't over yet." He struggled to push himself up on shaky, overexerted arms. His muscles burned. "Remember, I've said it before." Tetsusaiga shook under him as he used the blade to heave himself up. His legs were just as shaky and painful as his arms. "I've got human blood in my veins."

A short distance away, Sesshomaru watched dispassionately. How could InuYasha say that with such pride? How could he say that like he was gloating about a strength? Human blood was nothing but a weakness.

"Which is why I can't stand to give up!"

Power began to concentrate around So'unga and Sesshomaru tilted his head slightly to watch the blade from the corner of his eye as it raised. The image of misty purple dragons curled around the blade again. Was that attack all the blade could muster?

"This time I shall deliver the final blow," the blade vowed as the energy around it concentrated. The air around them became thick and heavy. "You'll fall into the pits of hell with those mortal girls."

"Just try me," his brother snorted, shifting himself into a ready stance. "I'll block your attack with my backlash wave."

So'unga's attack was let loose and Sesshomaru watched it rip through the ground, tearing towards InuYasha with a vengeance. His brother attacked in kind and the two twisters of demonic energy clashed, fighting against each other. So'unga taunted his brother. His brother shot down the taunt with an exasperated snap. "I have someone I have to protect."

There was that parallel again. His brother declaring he had to protect a weak, mortal woman, just like his father.

"And that's why I can never give up!"

Tenseiga shuddered, vibrating in Sesshomaru's hand. His gaze dropped to the sword. His father's fang.

_Have you someone to protect?_

Had he?

His gaze turned to his right, down to his two wards huddled together under that old codger Saya's barrier. Jaken and Rin.

Jaken had been with him for centuries; standing by his side and following him into battle without question. He'd rarely had to protect the imp in those centuries. Jaken was a self-sufficient creature. His personality was grating at times, but his opinions were appreciated as a majority.

Rin had been with him for less than two moon cycles; a far smaller amount of time than Jaken had been with him. He _had _had to protect her in the short time that she had followed him. Yet, not once had he been annoyed with having to protect the little mortal. She never ceased her smiling and not once had she looked on him in fear. It was a wholly new experience.

Then there was Mio.

His gaze turned slowly to the woman huddled against his brother's human. He'd known her for even less time than he had known Rin, yet no shortage of memories and opinions on the woman rose to his mind when he thought of her. Quiet and content with a life of travel with demons and a human girl that she'd quickly become a mother to. She wasn't all smiles like Rin, nor was her personality grating like Jaken's. She was quiet, yes, but there was little fear in her eyes on the occasions that she did stand up to him. She, too, much like Rin, didn't care about the fact that she travelled with creatures that the majority of her race feared. She'd wished him to be safe before this battle.

_Please, be safe, Lord Sesshomaru. Please._

Then there was the kiss she'd laid upon his lips a mere handful of days before. She cared for him and he-

The thought died before he allowed it to manifest.

Jaken. Rin. Mio.

They were all people that looked to him, travelled with him.

"Somone to protect..." he mused to himself.

Yes. The three of them were part of his pack. They were his. His imp and his humans.

But they were a liability. More than once he had thought that; on the days that Jaken's mere voice had him gnashing his teeth in annoyance; on the night that Rin was taken from under his nose and he had had to take time from his personal mission to rescue her; on that morning not so long ago when Mio had thought she was on a level that would allow her to be equal with him to a point where they could share affections.

They were a liability.

Every last one of them.

"I, Sesshomaru, have no one to protect," he yelled as Tenseiga pulsed in his grip and he sent a burst of Tenseiga's heavenly energy towards his father's darkest fang.

Even as the words left his lip, he knew they were wrong.

Sesshomaru knew he could convince himself of anything. It was what made him strong. If he could convince himself he could do it, then he would do it. The limit to his power was his own mind. Yet, this wasn't something he could convince himself of.

Jaken. Rin. Mio.

They were his.

They were his pack.

They were his pack and he would protect them.

Jaken, Rin and Mio were his to protect.

So'unga fell before the might of his and his brother's joint power.

He had no time to gloat in his victory. He had to get back to his pack, check the damages the past two days of battling had done to them. His eyes sought out Mio and he was satisfied to see his brother carrying her to safety alongside his own woman. Mio was safe enough. He would check the rest of his pack before seeking her out.

His feet found the ground not to far from the cluster of his pack, his father's advisors and brother's pack.

Jaken and Rin sprinted to meet him. They both called out his name.

Rin's arms found themselves around his waist, holding him tightly as she buried her face in the thick fur of his tail. His clawed hand laid atop her head, the tips of his nails just scratching her scalp. It was a comforting thing his mother had done for him many centuries ago. It felt odd to do this, but Rin was the pup of his pack and she was in distress. She needed comfort and, as Alpha, he would give it.

"You're fine," he murmured under his breath.

He could smell no blood and despite a faint trembling to her body, she was perfectly healthy.

A glance at Jaken told him that the imp, too, was no worse for wear.

A flash in the newly revealed sunlight caught his eye and he watched his arm and his father's fang fall. After a languid blink, he turned his back and began towards his brother's pack, smoothly extricating himself from Rin's grip with the movement. He had no interest in a sword like that. It could fall for all he cared.

His pack was more important.

He picked Mio out of the crowd in a second and strode towards her purposefully. Her tense body and guarded expression spoke of the troubles watching this battle had given her. Mio was a gentle woman, unsuited for the brutality of war. These past days had clearly unsettled her deeply.

Sesshomaru wished to see her usual smile to her lips and watch her grey eyes sparkle as they did when she was particularly pleased. The expression suited her better than the fake upturn of her lips currently marring her expression.

He reached out for her when he was close enough, arm curling around her shoulders and bringing her firmly to his chest. His head bowed and he buried his face in the two-toned hair at the crown of her head.

His pack was safe.

* * *

Despite not wanting to watch, I found myself following every detail of the battle that I could, watching as InuYasha rose and the fighting continued.

My white-knuckled grip was tight on Kagome's hand and her's, too, was tight on mine.

"They'll do it," I whispered to her as I watched Lord Sesshomaru. His gaze was on me. I couldn't see it from this ar away, but I could feel it. I could feel those intense golden eyes piercing me.

"You really think so?"

I gave the nervous blue-eyed girl a little smile. "If InuYasha is anything like his brother, there's no way they could lose." Lord Sesshomaru was hard-headed and determined. I could only guess how similar InuYasha was, but if he was even fractionally as stubborn as his brother then the two of them would win this fight without a question of a doubt. Sesshomaru wouldn't lose to anybody.

Her lips quirked up into their own little smile. "Yeah," she agreed.

The two would be fine. They'd win this battle. I believed in them.

I straightened up a little when Lord Sesshomaru moved.

"I, Sesshomaru, have no one to protect!"

I felt my breath hitch, and Kagome's hand squeezed mine. Lord Sesshomaru's words stung. It was a complete disregard to all of us. Master Jaken, Rin and I were all people under Lord Sesshomaru's protection. Hearing him disregard that hurt a lot. My eyes dropped to the floor and I chewed on my raw lip. Blood coated my tongue.

"Mio."

Did he not care about us so much that he would claim that we weren't his to protect?

A hand found my shoulder, giving me a little shake. "Mio?" My eyes turned up to Kagome. She was stood, with her hand pressed to Inuyasha's chest. "Come on, we should get back to everyone."

"Uh, right," I muttered in response, pushing myself to my feet. My Lord's - was he my Lord when he'd just announced to the world that he had no one to protect? - brother held an arm out silently and I limped towards him. He stooped low, his arms wrapping around mine and Kagome's thighs, then hoisted us up.

I was getting used to the feeling of flying now.

Soon we touched down amidst the crowd of Camp InuYasha. Numerous sets of hands fell upon my bruised body, checking my body for injuries as Sango and Miroku asked how I was. I gave them a forced little smile and took a few steps back. I didn't want to be around people at the moment.

"I'm fine." The lie was heavy on my tongue. I felt anything but fine.

The fake smile on my lips faded as I caught Lord Sesshomaru in my peripheral vision. I hesitated to turn to him. I didn't know what I would see in his expression when I looked up at him and I wasn't so sure I wanted to know. I'd been able to take having my romance rejected by him, but saying that he didn't have people to protect was too much for me. It wasn't just me that he had disregarded with that statement this time. Master Jaken and Rin were also at risk of being hurt there if they'd heard his yell.

My lips parted as I searched for something to say, but before I could think of anything, his hot arm pressed to my bruised back and I found my cheek pressed to the cool metal of his chestplate.

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**Guess what guys? No information time this chapter. If you think I've missed something from information time this chapter, tell me in a review and I'll add it in.**

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**There's also no review corner this chapter. This is the first chapter that I've had that hasn't had any reviews. Its more than a little sad for a writer like me, that gets so excited reading reviews, to not have any for the first time. Have I done something you dont like?**

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**Mio said a bad word! I think in the context, she can be forgiven. I'd definitely have worse to say if I ever narrowly escaped being killed by the sword of Hell.**

**I adore InuYasha's human speech in this film. It's one of the most honest and beautiful things I've ever heard. I'm not a big fan of InuYasha as a character, as some of you may well know, but this really made me love him. Seeing him embrace his human side inspired so much emotion in me. Its beautiful to see a character grow into himself as much as InuYasha did in that moment.**

**I seriously, seriously hope that I got Sesshomaru right in this chapter. This is a big part of the fic and now is NOT the time to make him seriously OOC.**

**I love this film and I'm more than happy with the fact that its running over so many chapters. This film means a lot to the plot and I'm happy that I can put so much detail into such an important thing.**


	19. Scroll Eighteen

**This chapter follows the plot of the third film: _Swords of an Honourable Ruler. _All dialogue taken from the film will be taken from the English version for consistency reasons.**

**Thank you to everyone that read the last chapter. Thank you _Kairi1990_ for adding this story to your alerts.**

**Theres also a special thank you I have to give out this chapter. A reviewer to my last chapter, who didnt give a name as they reviewed so came up as Guest. Thank you so much. This chapter is one that I've struggled with from the get go. Ive been unable to write it since I started attempting over a month ago. Actually its probably been almost two months since I started, and I havent gotten anywhere with it. I absolutely hated the sight of it. But reading your review gave me an idea and the motivation to try and work this chapter in a way that satisfied me. So really, thank you. You've not only done something to help me with this chapter; you've helped everyone that likes reading this story. Thank you.**

**Onwards.**

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**Kagome Kagome**

Scroll Eighteen

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My hand curled into a fist against the cool metal of Lord Sesshomaru's chestplate, knuckles pressing into the metal almost painfully.

I chewed at my already bleeding lip and flattened my hand out on his chestplate. I stared down at my hand; the little scrapes on the skin, the small amount of redness from pressing them so firmly against Lord Sesshomaru's chestplate just a second before, the way the dark silver steel made my skin look so pale. With a flex of my arm, I began to push myself away from the man. "Lord Sesshomaru, I-" A bright blue glow encompassed us, and I fell quiet before I could finish what I wanted to say.

That left the two of us stood close, my hand against his chestplate and his arm still tight around my waist.

Golden eyes, that had been gazing down at me with an incredible intensity, turned up to face the incredible light and his jaw hung open in shock.

A cowardly sort of relief overtook me.

I felt his sharp claws tighten in the back of my torn up kosode, pressing uncomfortably into my bruised skin. After a moment of watching his unusually epressive face, I turned my gaze to see what had shocked him so much.

The man stood in the midst of the bright blue glow looked so much like Lord Sesshomaru that my own jaw hung in an immitation of my Lord's. He looked maybe twice the age of the man I was pressed against. I would say he was forty at the latest. His hair was the same long silver of Lord Sesshomaru's and his _ewyes_ the same striking gold. He had the same high cheekbones and noble arch to his brow. They were similar enough that, if I hadn't heard from Master Jaken that the man was dead, I would have said that he was Lord Sesshomaru's father.

"Sesshomaru." His voice was incredibly deep and rather rough, but the emotion in it was strong. This man clearly loved Sesshomaru deeply. Could he be their father? His spirit. There was something about that thought that felt right. Yes, that man was the spirit of Lord Sesshomaru's father. "InuYasha. You have finally found the answer. You have ensured that So'unga will be sealed forever in the netherworld. I have nothing more to teach you."

The claws at my back pressed slightly harder into my skin and I bit my lip to stop from gasping in pain. The bruise along my shoulderblade was throbbing sharper than any other bruise along my body.

Those intense golden eyes, so similar to the ones my Lord had, found me and a smile twitched his lips upwards.

The blue glow began to fade, and with it the man, too, faded.

That was the man that weilded the swords of the three worlds - I was certain that he was Lord Sesshomaru's father - and he had just smiled at me.

The hand at my back tightened in my ruined kosode and I jerked back immediately, but didn't go far with the arm keeping me in place. "Sessshomaru!" My voice hitched, in both shock and pain.

He was gazing down at me again, with those intense amber eyes of his.

"I-" My eyes squeezed shut and I dropped forwards to lean against the man. My temple pressed firmly into one of the spikes of his chestplate, but I didn't make a murmur, even if I knew that I'd have a red mark on my forehead when I pulled back. My arms slid around his chest plate, holding him close as my fingers curled into both the fur over his shoulder and the back of his silky furisode. "I'm so glad you're safe."

Tears welled up in my eyes and I didn't fight them. They rolled down my cheeks and as little sobs shook my body.

Tonight had been one of the hardest nights of my life. I'd been through so much, and suffered through so much emotion and worry. I needed a moment to let it process that we had won this war, and we were all here and safe. Everyone from Rin to Miroku was safe.

Claws scraped up over my tender back and slid into my hair-line, twisting my short hair around his fingers. "You're crying again." His voice was low, just a whisper in my ear, and it was accusing. Clearly after he'd fought a war, the last thing he wanted was a woman crying on him.

A wet hiccuping giggle bubbled up in my throat. I tried to pull back, but was only jerked against Lord Sesshomaru's chest again. The next time I pulled back, I pressed my hand more firmly against his chestplate. There was a moment where I worried over whether or not he would let me go before his arm relaxed and fell ato his side.

"I'm sorry," I apologised, wiping my wet cheeks with a smile. I sniffled and wiped the snot leaking from my nose on my kosode sleeve. Caring about how I presented myself right now wasn't on the top of my to-do list. "Lord Sessh-" I gasped loudly as a deep throb of pain made my back spasm. The little arms that had thrown themselves around my waist had my face twisting in violent pain, and I gripped Rin's forearm tightly in reactive response. Tears prickled at my eyes again. "Rin," I grit out, gasping once again, "that hurts!"

The arms were gone imediately, and wide, tearful eyes gazed up at me. "I'm sorry, Lady Mio!"

I blinked back the tears with furious flutters of my eyelashes, and wiped the few that had fallen with the movement. "It's-" I cleared my throat, and took a deep breath, trying to push the pain from my monstrous bruise from my mind. "It's okay, Rin. It's just going to hurt for a while. We'll have to be gentle." I felt like I was always telling people to be gentle with me. First with the tender pits that had formed on my body when I woke up in Lord Sesshomaru's arms, then when I suffered that concussion on the mountain, and now with the bruise from the ogre.

Feeling another cowardly bout of relief at being interrupted before I could speak to Lord Sesshomaru, I reached down to grasp the girl's hand. "Let's go give out congratulations, Rin. Everyone deserves a good pat on the back."

I was dignified enough to not run towards the group of people slowly making their way away from the mess, catching up with each other. Miroku was the first to notice me, and with a gentle nudge to Sangos arm, she too was staring up at me. They both smiled at me, and Miroku reached out to pat my arm gently when I was close enough.

Rin squeezed my hand, and I smiled at the two teenagers. "We came to congratulate you all." The four of us began walking at an idle pace, making our way towards the larger group in front of us. "You all fought so well."

"And you did, too, Lady Mio! You saved me and Lady Kagome!" Rin chirped.

"I didn't do much," I denied. I'd just fumbled around to distract the demon. I hadn't even done that right. I didn't want anyone fussing over me and telling me I did well.

"But, Lady Mio," came Sango's shocked reproach.

I gave Rin's hand a firm tug as I limped a little faster. "Come on, Rin," I mururmed, cutting Sango off before she could say any more. It was rude of me, I knew, but I couldn't hear people bigging me up. It made me uncomfortable. Usually I could deal with that, but right now there wasn't a huge amount I could deal with. It was safer for all parties if I avoided things that would make me uncomfortable. At least until I had slept and worked through the tangled mess my mind was. "I want to thank Lord InuYasha for all he's done for us."

Up in front of us, said demon span around and pointed at me aggressively. "None of that Lord shit!" he demanded, then crossed his arms and glared at me with an angry pout on his lips. "I can't get _them _to stop," he nodded towards the group of three old demons walking alongside Momo, "but I'm not dealing with anyone else calling me _lord._"

A little giggle bubbled up in my throat, and I couldn't help but smile brightly back at the annoyed demon. His angry pout melted into an irritated sort of confusion. "_What_ are you laughing at?"

I didn't know. I really had no idea what I was laughing at, but it felt good. For just a moment the tangled mess of my mind had calmed. Or, more likely, I'd finally cracked after the past few months of incredible happenings. "Thank you, InuYasha. Thank you." Rin and I padded past a confused InuYasha, towards Kagome. "How are you doing?"

I gave the girl a sweep with my eyes, and was satisfied that she looked well; just tired. I think that was what we were all feeling at the moment.

"I'm okay. What about you? After..." Her eyes turned over my shoulder. "You didn't look happy."

I knew immediately what she was asking, and who she was looking at over my shoulder. I twisted around a little, to get a look at the white-clad demon walking at the back of our little travelling band, with Master Jaken at his side. It felt almost funny, discussing romance when we'd just come out of a war, because I was _sure _romance was what was in Kagome's eyes when she asked that question. I shouldn't have been that shocked. Kagome was still a teenager above all else. Romance was what was on all teenagers minds. I'd suffered the same thing ten years ago. "I-" A little sigh sounded and my shoulders slumped. My gaze flickered away from Lord Sesshomaru before our eyes could meet. "I'll be fine."

Rin gave a loud yawn by my side.

I reached out to run a hand through her thick hair. "I feel just the same, sweetheart. We'll be able to sleep soon, I promise. We just have to get away from here. Be strong for just a little while longer." She nodded tiredly and grasped tighter at my hand. "Shall we get you back to A-Un?"

She gave a little nod and after a quick 'I'll be right back' to Kagome, I led the little girl towards our dragon. She was too tired to help with getting her up onto A-Un, and I certainly wasn't strong enough to pick her up. I twisted around to call for Miroku's help, and came face-to-face with a familiar wicked looking spike. Lord Sesshomaru leaned down and hoisted Rin up onto A-Un's saddle. She muttered a little thank you as she nuzzled into A's neck and fisted a hand into Un's thick mane.

I took a step back and bobbed my head in a small nod. "Thank you." My lips twitched into a smile, then I weaved around the man and made my way back towards Kagome.

"My master believed in his sons," Master Myoga declared when I drew close enough to the group to hear, "and left it with them to find the solution."

Kagome tilted her head curiously and questioned the old man.

The response came from Master Saya. That made me smile a little. No matter how angry those three got with each other, it was clear they were very close friends. Finishing each others thoughts was a big part in showing that. "The only chance to seal So'unga, the sword of calamity, was when the gateway to Hell appeared."

"And that only became possible for the first time," Master Myoga continued, "when Tenseiga and Tetsusaiga combined their power."

Master Saya's ghostly visage smiled. "My Master believed all along that this would pass."

A few steps away, InuYasha snorted, clearly not happy at all with the thought that his father had relied upon him co-opperating with his brother to save the fate of the world. "Talk about nerve."

Another little snort sounded a breath behind me and I just about jumped out of my skin. "Ridiculous," Lord Sesshomaru declared. It looked like Lord Sesshomaru had the same opinion of InuYasha about his father's plan.

His hand rested on my shoulder and guided me around, nudging me away from the group.

Not wanting him to press too hard on my smarting bruises, I did as I was bid without complain, twisting and waving goodbye to the group. A few hands flew up to wave back at me.

As we passed them, A-Un began walking carefully so as not to jostle a happily sleeping Rin, reaching my side and slowing his pace so the three of us were walking in sync. I felt very boxed in with A-Un on one side and Lord Sesshomaru on the other. The Lord's hot hand was still on my shoulder. The heat felt amazing against my bruised shoulder. I would be wishing for it, I feared, a lot over the coming weeks, as my bruises developed and began to heal. Nothing felt better than a warm touch over a nasty bruise.

"Lord Sesshomaru, wait for me!"

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I woke the next morning barely wanting to move in fear that the huge bruise that had been given time to develop would ache too much.

I was too delicate to do much over breakfast, and useless without my kaiken, so I spent the preparation for breakfast confined to the shadow of a small tree, watching Rin and Master Jaken work.

Raising my hand to accept the leaf bowl of nuts hurt, and had me curling up, clutching at my sore arm as it throbbed painfully. Master Jaken squawked loudly. "What's wrong with you, Mio?"

"Just some bruising from that ogre yesterday." _Just _seemed like the wrong word to use. Just raising my arms hurt. This wasn't _just _some bruising. It was a lot of nasty bruises that would set me back a lot. "I just wasn't careful enough. Sorry to worry you, Master Jaken." This time when I reached for the leaf bowl, I made a point of trying to hide the pain in my expression. I didn't think I did a very good job, but Master Jaken was summoned by Lord Sesshomaru before he could pull me up on it.

I curled up into a ball when Master Jaken tottered off, and buried my face against my knees.

I hurt all over and I was dreading travelling over the next few weeks.

I didn't move until I was addressed again, hours later.

"Mio." I unfurled from the ball that I had been curled into all morning and gingerly moved so I was looking up at Lord Sesshomaru. My gaze dropped to the ground after a moment. "Follow Jaken and go soak your wounds. I'll not have you suffering in silence."

His boots scuffed against the dirt as he turned and left me, returning to the shadows of his large tree.

"Come along, Mio. I won't wait for you all day," the imp called out impatiently, tapping the end of his staff impatiently against the dirt. I struggled to bring myself to my feet but a moment after I managed it, Master Jaken and I were bumbling through the forest at a slow pace.

The hotspring that Master Jaken led me to was something of beauty. I wasted no time in undressing and slipping into the wonderful water to soak.

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Days went by in a blissfully uneventful haze.

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Rin opened her mouth in a huge yawn.

With a little smile, I stood and held out my hands for Rin to take and pull herself up. My bruised muscles protested, but I got the girl up and tottering off towards the area that we'd decided we'd sleep in. Close enough to the fire to be warm, but far enough away that we wouldn't run the risk of anything catching fire. Master Jaken was already spread out on the ground snoring loudly. Rin curled up right next to him and was out, making her own cute little snoring within moments.

I bent down to pick up the little bits laying around the fire, tossing the sticks we'd used for roasting a snake Rin had caught into the fire, and folding my dochuugi over one arm. One final sweep of the area saw that there was nothing too flammable too close to the fire that would go up in flames during the night. With a pleased smile, I turned on my heel and made my way towards our little camp.

As I passed by Lord Sesshomaru's claimed patch of the camp, as usual in the shadows of a large tree, I felt a pleasant heat against my back, then an uncomfortably pull on my tatty sash, like it had been snagged on something. That feeling drew me to a stop, and I looked back over my shoulder to see what I could have possibly gotten snagged on.

Lord Sesshomaru had hooked his fingers into the back of my sash. His intense amber eyes met mine and he titled his head in invitatin. "Sit with me."

My mouth quivered with unspoken words for a moment, trying hard to come up with an excuse. Nothing came to mind and, with a terrible resignation, I took a seat, leaning against the large tree trunk. Lord Sesshomaru's fur hid his face (and more importantly his intense eyes) from me. Despite that I still felt awkward and worried. It was as bad as how awkward as we were after his rejection.

That was still fresh though, I supposed, and with the events of the war so fresh, it was, for lack of better phrasing, a big ball of mess.

"You've been avoiding me since the battle with So'unga," he accused.

I was afraind we were going to ahve this conversation. I still didn't want to have it.

I didn't deny it.

So he asked perhaps the hardest question I'd heard. The hardest and perhaps the most simple.

_Why_?

A deep sigh made the back of my bruised ribs ache as I stared up into the dark sky, looking for an answer between the stars. "Not long ago, Sesshomaru, I told you that eventually your actions would become too much for the people around you, and you would push them away. You remember this conversation?"

I got no more than a low hum from him.

"During your fight with that sword, you said something that was..." I paused and turned my gaze down to my hands, twisting into the coloured hemp covering my legs. "Even I have my limits for things I can tolerate, Lord Sesshomaru, and you found that limit. How can you-?"

I stopped and gave a little laugh. "There are so many women that would hate me for this... But maybe I'm just old fashioned. Lord Sesshomaru, you can't say that you have no one to protect and then hug me like that." If he want any sort of relationship from me then I was his to protect. He couldn't have one without the other. "We can't have a romantic relationship, Sesshomaru." Not if he thought like that.

There was a long silence after that, and after a while I began to think that Lord Sesshomaru had fallen asleep, but eventually the long silence was broken with harsh-toned words. "I see." His voice was a low, rough growl; a bitter tone that was trying and failing to sound neutral.

It was heartbreaking to hear. I didn't _want_ to hurt him. It was never my intention to hurt him, but I couldn't let myself fall into another relationship that was filled with doubts and uncertainties. I had suffered for years with Saburo; dealing with his manipulative ways and all the second guessing that made me feel so insecure in what should have been something that made the two of us mutually happy. That relationship had left me ultimately unhappy and I had never had thet strength to leave him.

I couldn't deal with another relationship like that. Sesshomaru declaring that Master Jaken, Rin and I weren't his to protect was already making me second guess our entire relationship with him.

I had to protect myself from another disaster of a relationship.

"I'm sorry," I whispered into the tense silence.

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**Information time!**

**Feminism - **This is a very controvertial topic, I know, but it was something that Mio was always very likely to bring up at some point during the fic. I'm not going to go on a huge rant on the topic, though I very well could.

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**Review corner!**

**I got quite a few reviews this chapter so I'm beyond happy! Thank you everyone!**

**Prince - **He wouldn't be our Sesshomaru if he wasn't dickish one moment and sorta sweet the next.

**Unknown - **Thank you! I bet you weren't so excited after reading what went on in this chapter, huh?

**Guest - **Thank you. Really, thank you. Sometimes writing is the hardest thing ever for me, I'm actually more of an artist than a writer. I spend more time with a pencil in my hand than fingers on my keyboard, and sometimes coming up with things to progress a story is damned near impossible for me. Your comment about InuYasha really, really helped with this chapter. It gave me the promt to move on from where I was stuck, to the next thing I had planned. What came to mind isn't _quite _what you said, but it was enough to get the story moving again.

**The Opheliac - **OPHELIAC! Man and I glad to see you back here again! I missed you so much these past few weeks. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, even though its a bit late. I'm so sorry you had to go through so much stress over the past few weeks. You don't have to apologise for disappearing. I'm just glad you were okay! I was honestly quite worried when I didn't get any reviews for a couple weeks. If you ever need any help, and if it isnt too strange to offer considering we met on here and stuff, I'm always here, even if you just need someone to rant at or something. You can PM me on here, or I can give you my email or skype if you want. Mio read the signs wrong, and those false signs gave her confidence. That he then shot down brutally OTL. I felt so sorry for poor Mio. Yeahh, he rejected her. I honestly believe that the rejection was totally in his character for the amount that their relationship had developed so far, and it led for lots of development room. DONT CRY! Oh godss, you didn't tear up during this chapter, did you? I'd feel so bad! ...that's a lie. This chapter was to make fans cry. Its an evil chapter Im proud of. I'm glad you'll be back where you belong. I missed hearing from you so much and it is a _pleasure_ to see you back again. I cant wait to hear from you next episode! Apart from a little ex-boyfriend drama (nothing like the magnitude of yours) my life has been surprisingly smooth sailing recently. Its been nice to not have all the stress of my usual life on my shoulders. Health and happiness to you, too. See you next episode!

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**Please don't hate me.**

**I adored seeing Sesshomaru shocked at the end of the film. I love seeing him show emotion in any situation and seeing him shocked to see his father was beautiful. Sesshomaru sports the 'catching flies' look well.**

**This was an 'eww 1000 words' chapter. It took forever to get to a thousand words. Seriously, it took almost two months of on and off struggling, and then some to get the chapter reader-ready. I spent hours watching and rewatching the end of the film and trying to think up different possibilities for how this chapter could go. Of course, there were good 'the world is perfect' options for how this chapter would go, but I opted against that quickly for some much needed Mio development.**

**I had a friend helping me with this chapter. Meaning my cat decided to sit on the table and bat at my hand, or guard the manga and my iPad from my touch. So I had trouble watching the end of the film, and reading ahead to see what parts of the manga I could include in this chapter. I didn't end up putting any of the manga into it, but trying to wrestle the book from a 'helpful' cat to decide whether I would or not took a _lot _of time.**

**Mio's manners are getting patchy around Sesshomaru. Have you guys noticed?**

**The chapter's a little short, but I hope you guys enjoyed it anyway.**


	20. Scroll Nineteen

**Welcome back guys!**

**And in this chapter we go back to the manga plotline. ****_Swords of an Honourable Ruler _****is over.**

**Thank you to everyone that read the last chapter.**

**To the chapter!**

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**Kagome Kagome**

Scroll Nineteen

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I ran a wet rag gently over the green skin on my arm, revelling in the pleasantly warm heat of the hot spring Lord Sesshomaru had directed Rin and I to an hour ago.

"Your bruises are looking better, Lady Mio," Rin chirped happily as her fingers stroked over the multi-coloured flesh of my back, tracing the tattoo design, and the patches of different coloured bruises. The ticklish touch of her tracing the silhouette of birds against the large full moon had me writhing in place, trying not to giggle. That led to a giggle from Rin and more intentional tickling.

I couldn't help but giggle now. I twisted in the water and wrapped my arms around the girl, pinning her to my chest so she couldn't tickle me. "Calm down, you little imp."

It took a few moments of giggling for the two of us to calm down enough to stop. Then we just stood in the hot water, Rin's arms pressed to my chest and mine wrapped around her. I nuzzled into her wet hair, holding her closer. "We should get back to camp. Master Jaken is probably waiting for us."

We took our time packing up, drying off and dressing. We decided to do a little foraging before we found our way back to camp, too, though all we found were a few edible mushrooms and some nuts. "What I wouldn't give for something fried," I bemoaned as I held up a mushroom to the faint light of the setting sun filtering down through the leaves. I wanted some good fried food, like katsudon or tempura, or something instant that I didn't have to find myself and cook up. I would cry if I saw a Nissin packet right now. Kagome giving us instant ramen before the war was spoiling my appetite for foraged food. "Someday, Rin, I'll find a way to get together all the ingredients I need for a feast, and cook for you. How does that sound?"

Saburo had always been the better cook between the two of us, but I certainly got enough practise to be a good cook. I could make a good feast if I set my mind to it, and when I got the ingredients I needed, I would do just that.

"That sounds very good, Lady Mio. What will you cook?"

I hummed thoughtfully, flicking through the mental list of recipes I'd learned over the years. There were so many good things I wanted to cook. "Katsudon, for sure. Tempura vegetables. Maybe teriyaki chicken." Talking about it was just making me hungrier for all the food that I couldn't have. "I'll think up some more later on, okay, sweetheart?"

The two of us turned a corner to our camp.

I counted three heads on my customary sweep of the camp, a glance around to make sure everyone was okay every time I came upon the camp after leaving. It was something I had learned to do very early on, when I realised that Lord Sesshomaru could leave the group at the drop of a hat, whenever the need struck him. It seemed like today was one of the days, because the missing head was Lord Sesshomaru.

Rin skipped up to the fire and dropped to her knees so she could warm her hands by the fire. "Hey, Master Jaken," she greeted. Her eyes flickered around, much like mine had a moment ago, and she clocked the missing head, too. "Where did Lord Sesshomaru go?"

The imp gave a deep huff. "I have no idea," he sulked. Master Jaken was always in a bad mood when Lord Sesshomaru left without any reason. To make it worse, that was something Lord Sesshomaru had been doing a lot recently. Particularly in the week since our late-night conversation. On an almost daily basis he disappeared with no words. If Master Jaken tried to question him, and it was always Master Jaken that asked, he just glared sharply in a tense silence. Occasionally he would throw a stone at the imp.

Lord Sesshomaru was sulking in the face of rejection. I felt more guilty every time the man lashed out.

I felt a heavy stare on me, and glanced up from picking at the dirt under my nails - a fruitless act considering that dirt seemed to gather under my nails quicker than I could ever hope to clean them - and my eyes flickered up to meet the bulging yellow-eyed glare of Master Jaken. I _know _I expected the glare - it wasn't hard to pinpoint Lord Sesshomaru's current terrible mood, and thus the way he was treating Master Jaken - on me, but it did hurt a little knowing that I was being blamed.

I didn't even know what to say to make the situation any better.

Before I could think up anything to say, the imp across the fire heaved a great sigh.

"You know, Master Jaken," Rin muttered, testing the mushroom on the fire. She stuck the stick back in the dirt when she realised that it wasn't cooked to her liking. "They say if you sigh, you blow happiness away."

"What a silly expression,"Master Jaken squawked, turning his glare to Rin. "You can't just blow happiness away."

"I don't know, Master Jaken," I disagreed, turning my eyes up to the sky. The stars were beautiful as any other night. "We've all been sighing away happiness since the war... Even Lord Sesshomaru." Not one of us had really had any prolonged sort of happiness since then. Lord Sesshomaru and my disagreement has seriously sapped the mood from our little travelling band. "Maybe we should all try and stop sighing so much."

I knew what that meant for me.

I had to talk to Lord Sesshomaru and try and come to some sort of agreement that left the two of us happier. His sulking was getting us all down.

* * *

_He must really be sulking, _I thought idly as I led A-Un along. It had been two days since I had last seen Lord Sesshomaru. He didn't usually stay away for such long periods of time. Usually just a few hours if the bustle of the band was getting too much for him, or he had something pressing to do.

Lord Sesshomaru being gone for so long made Rin nervous, and that in turn made me nervous.

Despite my big words about not sighing so much any more the other day, I felt myself heave a heavy sigh. "We should probably bed down for the night. It's dark and I don't want to travel in the dark without Lord Sesshomaru."

After two identical responses, we all began a ritual that was well-rehearsed by now. Rin and Master Jaken began clearing any debris from the place we had chosen to camp, moving the rocks in the area to make a firepit, and collecting together as many dry sticks as they could to make a decent fire while I took to untacking A-Un and making them comfortable. Both heads gave me an affectionate butt when I'd relieved them of their muzzles so they could graze.

"All these nuts are making me weary," Master Jaken complained when I lifted the familiar nut and berry pack from my furoshiki cloth stashed in A-Un's saddle.

"If we had any money, I'd suggest going to a village market to find something more substantial," was my response as I doled out portions of nuts to the three of us. Rin dug in with her never-ending enthusiasm, while Master Jaken and I picked with a lot less interest. Idly I wondered what the possibility of being able to scare bandits out of their coinage was. The few coins that I'd had during my travelling with Tahei's band had been lost when I lost the furoshiki cloth that I'd kept all of my possessions with, when Rin and I were running from the wolves. That money was long gone.

Would it be possbile for Master Jaken to scare a few bandits enough to give us some money?

"Get that silly idea out of your head, Mio," Master Jaken huffed, waving his staff almost threateningly in my direction. "Servants of Lord Sesshomaru would never demean themselves to the point of relying on a _human_ market for anything. Just the thought of it!"

I stared down at my nuts with a little frown. I would demean myself to shopping in a human market if it meant eating something other than nuts and the few little things we found that were edible. Winter wasn't a good time to be travelling without supplies. "I miss the taste of rice..."

Master Jaken's stomach rumbled loudly, quite clearly agreeing with my statement. "I may consider asking Lord Sesshomaru..." He ducked his head and looked around frantically, as if he was expecting Lord Sesshomaru to appear to throw a stone at him or kick him. "If not, begging for forgiveness is much easier than asking permission..."

Rin and I shared a little giggle, though I certainly agreed with Master Jaken.

"We'll have to hope we see some bandits soon." I never thought I would actually speak those words in my life, but I actually meant them. Any chance to pick up enough coin to be able to buy some decent food would be prayed for.

* * *

I was just drifting off to sleep, leant against a snoozing A-Un, when I heard footsteps that weren't from any of our current band. The steps were too heavy - clearly from someone that was carrying a fair amount of weight. Wearing armour, I realised, when I heard the rattle of metal fllowing the steps. My lids peeled back from my eyes and I pushed myself to sit up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I did so.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Master Jaken squawked. "You've returned to us."

Lord Sesshomaru was back.

I blinked my eyes open, but I struggled keeping them open for any amount of time. My eyes drooped and I curled into A-Un's side, nuzzling into his rough, scaly skin.

The tone of Lord Sesshomaru's voice carried, teasing at my ears without giving away what he was saying. The more tired I got, the less I heard, until I was barely clinging to consciousness.

"We have to talk soon," I slurred out, hoping that Lord Sesshomaru had heard me.

I was asleep before I got any confirmation.

When I awoke in the morning Lord Sesshomaru was gone again.

Had I imagined him returning?

* * *

**Information time!**

**Nissin - **Its a _huge _food brand that specialises in instant noodles. It was founded in 1948 and does more different types of noodles than you could even imagine. I love Nissin noodles and would feel just like Mio if I was left without them for months.

* * *

**Review corner!**

**TheOpheliac - **You don't know how wonderful it is to see your reviews appear in my emails again**. **And you can call me Bee. Its the name pretty much everyone calls me by. All sounds like your average hospital rooms. I've suffered those a thousand times with the amount I've been taken into hospital for things. You're lucky the food wasn't bad! Usually when I stay in, the food really looks like its about to crawl off the plate and eat _you. _Vegetarian lasagne has never been so terrifying. Eeesh, I wouldn't survive without books. I ALWAYS have at least two books in my bag when I leave the house, and I just managed to order a couple of FullMetal Alchemist books in Spanish the other day, to add to the already massive collection of books in my room. I'm gonna be busy reading when they come. Ahh, your email didnt come up. Either you're trolling me, or fanfiction is being mean. Don't laugh at it, I made it back when I was like eleven and still female, but this is my email, so you can get hold of me (cutieg1 hotmail co uk) I dont know if fanfiction just doesnt like emails like it doesnt like links, so I left it all broken up so it cant eat it. Just throw your name or some crazy fun thing in the subject box and I'll know its you, if you wanna email me. I'm so glad I'm managing to keep him in character! Even now, I still worry that he's gonna go OOC and I'm gonna disappoint you all. I felt bad for him too, I really did, but this was something I felt had to happen if Mio wasn't to turn into a dreary girl tht lives for a romance with a man. Mio is her own person and she's finally growing a backbone and I really didn't want to throw away all that development because Sesshomaru decided he wanted her now. She didn't reject him just because he rejected her first. There is so much more to her reasoning than that. Its a big step forward for her character. Oh, they'll be so incredibly wonderfully awkward for the span of quite a few volumes. I know exactly when they're gonna stop being awkward, because I actually managed to plan ahead for quite a few chapters of the manga now. I have a solid plan right up until they leave Sesshomaru's mother's castle. I missed chatting with you too! I think I might cry if you disappear again. You and Setsuna were both so great to talk to and you both disappeared. Its so great to have one of you back to listen to my mindless babble down here in the corner. Ahh, at the time I'm writing this review, I'm going to meet him tomorrow. I'll give you the scoop on that when I get back tomorrow night. Im so glad you liked the way I wrote that scene. I think it was my favourite scene to write so far. I love seeing Sesshomaru show such raw unckecked emotion. Im so jealouse of you! I live right next to the sea so the air is too salty for snow to settle most the time. Its been maybe eight years since my town has seen any decent level of snow. The weather's a little cold, but safe and boring. No snow for us. Cry. See you next episode Skye! The scoop: our date went really well but he decided at the end if it that dating me would be weird because hes straight and he cant get his head around dating a transman. I'm still on the single bus. Woop.

**Guest - **No, really, you're the one I have to thank. Even if the idea was there, just under the surface, you were the one that bought it out, so I'd have to thank you anyways! There'll be communication... eventually. But worry not, this _is _a Sesshomaru/OC romance fic. There _will _be romance. We just get lots of fun drama before the romance takes hold. Mio's not a 'woe is me' sort of person, and she certainly wont become one over a man, so there is no worries about that sort of behaviour developing. Their lack of communication will be helping with the plot, but its not the be-all and end-all of the story. Its just realistic interpretation of what the two of them being stubborn and not talking will mean for the group. It really doesnt do much for the romance side of things. More for Jaken's sanity side of things. Poor Jaken will never find a break. Wow, I feel honoured that the longest review you've ever written is for me. Thank you! Hahh, I promise I'll try not to stop writing.

**Setsuna1986** \- Setsuna! You're back too! I feel spoiled with both you and Ophiliac back. I totally know how much of a pain schooling can be and I understand having zero energy. Its sucky. But I'm so glad I get to hear from you again! Hah! Im a sadistic asshole to my OCs if you hadnt noticed so I totally get enjoying all the angst. Sadness makes the happy even happier and all that jazz. I just wanna see how many times I can push Mio to cry, not even gonna lie. I'm a terrible person. I loved writing that scene. Getting into Sesshomarus head and trying to piece together his emotions during that scene was truly a fun experience. It was fun backtracking and writing Mio's side of it as well. Seeing the opposing thoughts and Mios thoughts because she hasnt quite learned to read minds and know Sesshomaru actually does see them as pack was super interesting to write. And naturally I love jerking my OCs around so the mixed signals were fun to write. "Youre not important!" Hugs! I had too much fun with Mios reaction. For once, that quote wasnt something I tried super hard to slip in to show character development. Usually the quotes you pick out are things that I put a lot of thought into adding. That one in particular just flowed as I was writing. Though I totally get how it could be seen as character development. I'm glad you can find interesting things about my fic that I didnt even really plan! Yess more fluff. Unfortunately not a lot of fluff planned for the next little while. Youll have to suffer along with Mio for a while before we get some good romancing going on. Sesshomaru calling her out there was sort of in reference to Sesshomaru saying that he doesnt hide from important conversations earlier on in the fic. He remembered Mio admitting that she would run from uncomfortable conversations so he was he one that bought it up. I dont think Sesshomaru is matured enough yet to be so in tune with how sensitive Mio is. Or care too much if he was slapped in the face with that knowledge. More development is needed before he would react positively to that sort of knowledge, I think. Mio is finally growing a backbone and realising she doesnt have to be unhappy in a relationship so she definitely wont go on as normal and just fall into a relationship. She's growing up so fast! It was great hearing from you again, and I'm looking forward to reading more reviews if you've got the energy to write them!

* * *

**I was furiously writing this minutes before I posted this. I've been so bad with keeping up with writing since I hit that huge brick wall in chapter eighteen. I need to put aside a day to sit with stacks of manga, a good playlist and no distractions and see if I can whack out half a dozen chapters, like I did way back in early December. I had moments between serious plot action, though. I find it hard to keep the lulls interesting, and I dont have much planned for at least another four volumes worth of the manga. Its a pain, too, because lots of Sesshomaru's appearances in this part of the manga happen away from his pack, and Mio isnt at the point to be travelling with him when he's wandering off. So I've got to try and push along the plot without a lot of 'and a week passed by' going on.**

**I think there's one line in this chapter that I really love. Setsuna! Your challenge is to find it, since you're usually pretty good at finding the quotes that I put a lot of effort into.**

**Terrible, terrible short chapter here. Im so sorry. When more interesting things start happening, the chapters will be longer and far better. I think this is the shorted and worst chapter of the story so far. Im sorry guys!**


	21. Scroll Twenty

**Guys! I'm sorry I'm such a pissant! Life has been beyond crazy for me lately, between getting a job, and actually getting a relationship with my little brother, and things happening with the rest of my family, and finally putting some actual effort into my art, I haven't had the time to wipe my own arse, let alone sit down and bang out five thousand words a week for this.**

**I have a day off work today, though, and people are out of the house. I decided to try and get this chapter written before I did my daily drawings. I'll be trying hard now to make some time for writing. I've started rereading InuYasha to build my love again and its getting me pumped to carry on. We're very very close to a very big bit of development! Since I've only written a couple hundred words of this chapter so far, I can't tell you whether the development will happen this chapter, or the next or even the one after, but it'll be soon!**

**I'm sorry again for the ridiculous wait, and I hope you guys forgive me and enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

**Kagome Kagome**

Scroll Twenty

* * *

The day was beatiful, yet I couldn't find it in myself to truly enjoy it like I usually could. The faint wisps of clouds in the brilliant blue sky didn't make me feel tranquil; the cool breeze on an uncharacteristically warm winter morning didn't comfort me; Rin giggling as she occupied herself with flowers didn't bring a smile to my lips.

My mind was too overtaken by far more unpleasant thoughts than a happy winter's morning.

Lord Sesshomaru was absent again. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence recently, but his lack of presence still played heavily on my mind. His lack of presence made all of us a little edgy.

Master Jaken was unhappy with the role of constant protector that he bore. Before now Lord Sesshomaru woud still spend plenty of time with our band, so Master Jaken could bask in the Demon's presence. Recently, with Lord Sesshomaru's constant absence, Master Jaken hadn't been able to do that. He'd been constantly in our presence, which made for a grumpy imp. His bad mood got worse by the day.

Rin didn't feel as safe without Lord Sesshomaru by her side. Her love for our protector only grew every time she laid eyes on him, and her pain at the loss of his presence was tangible at this point. She masked the pain with her bright smiles, or little huffs of being bored without him, but it was plain to see. Master Jaken was taking time to engage with her more, even with his growing bad mood, in hopes that she would be content with us.

Rin's edginess had always put my own mind on edge, so Rin despairing at Lord Sesshomaru's absence was playing on my mind, but that wasn't all. His absence made me feel guilty. I believed that he was avoiding me, and I couldn't blame him for it. The guilt stemmed from knowing that I was the cause of Master Jaken's bad mood and Rin's unhappiness.

Goose bumps appeared on my arms and my head snapped up. "Rin, come over here," I called out, keeping my eyes to the rolling hills before us. I had come to trust these gut instincts without question now. Something dangerous was coming.

I wasn't wrong. Just a few seconds later a breeze picked up, and just beyond Rin landed a tall, beautiful and familiar visage. Her deep red eyes turned over the area, searching for something. I pushed myself to my feet as Rin scurried to hide behind Master Jaken for protection. Master Jaken lifted his staff in defense and squawked at the woman. "So! You've come to kidnap Rin again?!"

Her gaze flickered down to Master Jaken in disinterest. "What? When did I ever do that?" Though she sounded bored, there was a dull note in her voice, like she was speaking without truly thinking about what she was saying, her mind focussed on something of far more importance.

My brows drew together when her eyes turned back to searching for something. That wasn't right. The few times I had seen the woman, she was focussed and calm. Confident. There was a franticness to her now, and despite my inclination to dislike her, for she had kidnapped Rin and put her in a lot of danger, I felt worry for her. For what she'd done to Rin, it still stood that there were times where she had helped us; given us information that was important. She was working for Naraku, yes, but she wasn't doing it willingly, that was for sure.

Her hand, holding tight to her fan, came to her face and an almost vulnerable look entered her eyes. "Sesshomaru isn't here?"

"Fool!" Master Jaken screeched. "If Lord Seshomaru were here, your head would be rolling on the ground by now."

The vulnerability in her gaze heightened for a moment before they clenched shut. When they opened again, there was a blankness to her; a morbid sort of acceptance of something. "True enough," she sighed, plucking a feather from her bun.

I chewed thoughtfully on the inside of my lip as I watched her fly. That look in her eye unsettled me. I knew it well. For a long time that had been the look I sported when I looked back at myself in the mirror. What trouble was Kagura in so deeply, that she felt so worried about that she came to Lord Sesshomaru for help?

"Why did she come?" Master Jaken asked, also watching her figure in the distance.

"She's looking for Lord Sesshomaru," I answered, dropping my eyes to the two huddled together. "We'll probably see her again soon." I hoped we saw her again soon. No one deserved to have that look in their eyes. I truly hoped she tried to find Lord Sesshomaru again. She deserved help. "Rin, why don't we make A-Un flower crowns? I bet they feel left out. You've never made any for the two of them."

That prompt was enough to set Rin into action, gasping in horror and jumping up to collect together as many flowers as possible.

* * *

I rubbed at my calf as A-Un moved steadily underneath me.

As a shock to all of us, Lord Sesshomaru had appeared not long after Kagura had left, demanding movement from us all. Naturally we'd all jumped as soon as he had spoken and was on the road in minutes, following behind him loyally. It hadn't taken long for me to give up on walking besides A-Un, after stumbling over a rock and feeling a merciless throb in my foot.

My gaze turned from staring at Lord Sesshomaru's back, and dropped to my foot, dangling off the edge of A-Un's saddle. It seemed now that I had a theory about what the pain could be, I noticed the pain that much more. What a wonderful thing the mind was.

My fingers ran over the side of my calf again, dipping as close to my foot as I could in this position. I had tried not to think too hard on what having a shard of the Jewel of Four Souls meant, but every now and then I'd find my mind wandering back to the subject. They were coveted, that much I knew. Kagura had tried bartering them for Lord Sesshomaru's help once. My gaze flickered back up to the man my thoughts were on. He'd said no to them, though. Were they not so coveted then? Or did Lord Sesshomaru just not want them? Kagome had certainly seemed excited about the prospect of getting her hands on this one in my foot.

If they took it, would I stop feeling all this pain? Would I be able to walk normally again? I'd gotten used to walking with a limp, but I certainly wouldn't mind being able to walk without pain.

But then, how would they remove it? This place was five hundred years in my past. Proper medicine was a thing of myth and dream here. I could get an infection as easily as breathing here if they just cut my foot open for the shard. Did I want to risk dying of an infection to be pain free when I walked? It was a very real possibility here. The medicine was mediocre and I had built up no natural resistance to the bacteria of this time. I could get really sick. Really, it was a miracle that I hadn't gotten sick yet already.

There was very litle way to get around that, either. There were likely no such things as sterile rooms here, and no amount of honey or alcohol was going to help if I did get an infection from this time.

"You're thinking awfully hard about something, Lady Mio," Rin's sweet voice uttered from behind me.

"It's nothing important, Rin." And it wasn't. Not really. No matter how much I thought on the issue, my self preservation would take control. I'd deal with the pain before courting getting an infection that I couldn't fight off. I turned a smile over my shoulder to her, assuring her that I was okay.

I opened my mouth again to start a little conversation, but Rin got to it first, giving a high-pitched gasp. "What's that, Lady Mio? It's massive!"

The sight that graced me when I turned my gaze back over my shoulder had me staring with the same wide-eyed wonder as Rin. "I-I don't know." I knew what it looked like, but that couldn't be right. There was no way that a bird could ever grow to be that large. Even the one demon bird I had seen, the one that had carried Lady Sara, wasn't even approaching the size of the headless corpse of what looked like a mountain sized bird in front of me.

"It looks like you were too late, Sesshomaru. The entrance as closed up already." Kagura. She was stood on a rocky outcrop, looking down at Lord Sesshomaru from her perch. She had come back looking for Lord Sesshomaru. That made me smile. She was still looking for help.

Master Jaken waved his staff. "What do you want?!" he demanded. "You seem to be hanging around Lord Sesshomaru quite a bit lately!"

"Master Jaken," I shushed him. It was clear that Kagura was here for help and from what I had seen of her personality she was a proud woman. Any pushing like that might make her stop trying, and I didn't want to see anyone with those eyes again.

Lord Sesshomaru's eyes flickered over me as he approached the woman. Betrayed, Master Jaken whimpered our Lord's name when Lord Sesshomaru jumped up onto the rock Kagura was stood on. He stood proud, taller than Kagura by half a head, though with the proud way Kagura held herself, it was hard to believe that she wasn't much taller than I was. "What do you mean... _this _entrance?" Lord Sesshomaru demanded.

"This route to the borderland," Kagura explained. "Naraku and InuYasha have already passed through." That was clever. Knowing that both Naraku and InuYasha were there, Lord Sesshomaru would do just about anything to get there and attempt to kill the two of them. "I know of one other. Although... you might not be able to pass through it alive."

Worry pierced me. He might not be able to pass alive? "What do you mean not alive?" I couldn't help myself asking.

Kagura's deep red eyes turned to me, appraising me for a long moment before sweeping back to Lord Sesshomaru. "Well?"

A golden set of eyes turned to me now, appraising me in a similar manner. "Take me there."

* * *

"Be safe," I ordered Master Jaken, laying a hand on his shoulder. I had decided that it wasn't safe for Rin and I to venture through the borderland between worlds, and it hadn't taken much for Lord Sesshomaru to agree to leave the two of us behind in a safe-ish place with A-Un. We'd found a little cave that the four of us could stay in while we waited for Lord Sesshomaru to return.

"I'll be with Lord Sesshomaru," Master Jaken assured. Master Jaken put so much faith in Lord Sesshomaru.

A smiled, squeezing his shoulder before standing up. "Just be safe. You too, Lord Sesshomaru." The demon didn't even spare me a glance in response to my wishes. I quashed down the hurt. "You, too Kagura. Be safe."

The woman just huffed and flicked her fan at me. A little trail of dust blew up between us.

"Let's get going." Kagura flicked her fan again and pushed from leaning against the mouth of the cave. "We're losing daylight."

A little hand grasped mine as we watched the three of them leave.

"They'll be back soon, sweetheart," I promised, squeezing Rin's hand.

* * *

**Information Time!**

**Illness** \- one of the biggest issues with going places that you haven't gone before (including back and forward in time, in theory) is that the diseases and bacteria are different. You need to build up a natural resistance to illnesses in the area, and if you're dumped right into a new area, you have no resistence to the bacteria there. Its a very real possibility that you can get an illness and it'll rage through your body because you have no resistence to it like the locals. So, like the flu, it could only give you a little fever and the sniffles, but in someone that has no resistence to it like you would have, it could rage through them and kill them easily. Realistically, Mio would have probably left bacteria behind her and killed a lot of people with illnesses that she's resistent to but people five hundred years ago aren't. Morbid, but true.

**Honey and Alcohol** \- both are well-known for their medicinal properties. Alcohol sterilises things, while honey is an anti-microbial, used to help heal wounds for thousands and thousands of years.

* * *

**Review corner**

**TheOpheliac - **Wow, crazy long review this time around! I love it! It's been lovely meeting you, too. Bee comes from my middle name/ my mothers name. My nan and grandad always had a thing with calling me my mother's name by accident (because we both looked almost identical when we were really young), and I got so tired correcting them that I just sorta went 'Yknow what? Fine. I am Debi!' But my friends hated the name, so they started calling me the meaning of the name instead. The story of how I became Bee. God, they really do. Hospitals are the worst sometimes. I dont know whether I should say that its really cool that you can tolerate hospital food, or question your sanity :p I'm lucky to have not had to suffer any terrible hospital cuisine in the past couple years and touch wood it stays like that. I have an unhealthy obsession with vampire romance books at the moment. My dirty little pleasure :'D I think I own like two hundred vampire books, not including the Anita Blake comics I own. I havent watched 13 going on 30 in years. Spanish is my second language. I was born and bred in England, but my grandad on my stepdads side moved to Spain when I was twelve, and a few family members followed him. I go over and visit regularly, so I decided that instead of relying on my cousin to be around constantly to translate for me (cause they live in an area of Spain that isnt too frequented by English tourists) that I would learn the language myself. I've been buying manga in Spanish to try and help myself learn it quicker. I do have to say, listening to Disney songs in Spanish is fun. I adore the Spanish soundtrack for Treasure Planet. I can belt out Sigo Aqui all day if it didnt piss off everyone else in the house. Yeahh, I got that too when I started learning languages. I find I'm the worst with numbers. I am abolutely terrible with learning numbers. I'll start off in Spanish, then visit every country in Europe while I'm counting, then find myself counting in Japanese OTL I definitely need to work more on my numbers. I own too many books OTL I have two bookcases full of manga, two full of novels, then two bookcases worth of novels manga and American comics in storage. Then I have another bookcase full of films and anime. I took film studies while I was doing my A-Levels and fell in love with cinema. I have all together too many films. Ohdear, I wasn't much of an L fan. I was always a Light kind of guy. And Mello, because he was adorable in an angry sort of way. Aye, I'm FtM. Came out to the world just over two years ago. Ehh, the only douchebags that have said anything so far are two of my ex partners and my mother and brother. I've had a wonderful response to it otherwise. I know a lot of very wonderful and accepting people. I certainly knew when I saw the email subject! For someone that people says is constantly upbeat (if a little too sarcastic) I seem to be really good with keeping the closed off grumpy characters in character. I hope I can keep on doing a good job! She certainly has a long way to go in the strength department. But you'll get to see just how she's changed since the first chapters soon. Especially when she runs into Tahei and his gang again, and then something closer to the end. Im an author; my writing process is supposed to hurt you inside :p Ohh there'll be some interesting things going on with Mio and Sesshomaru's mother. Ohh same. I adore Sesshomaru showing emotion. He's the sort that's actually really expressive when he feels enough, and I love writing him reacting to certain things. We still haven't had any snow whatsoever. Aye, the beaches in my area are pretty nice. The salt air actually really helps with my lung condition, so I've never complained about it. Ohh man, five years is a long time, but we beat you. Its gotta to have been a decade give or take since we've had snow that actually took here. A whole decade without snow TT^TT We dont get too much crazy weather. Lots of clouds and sometimes we'll get enough raining for little floods (that mostly effect the trainlines in the area) but otherwise we're pretty much one of the sunniest areas in England. Urgh, he's being bad enough for me to want to beat my head against the wall at the moment. After telling me that he doesnt want to date a trans man because he's straght and it'd be weird, every breath he's breathed to me has been flirty. Petnames, comments on how awesome I am and how difficult it was to tell me that he didn't wnat to date me and I've been really ughh with it all. One thing I hate more than anything else is being jerked around by assholes like that. Do you have any specific pronouns you want me to use? I'm a very affectionate person so not having a partner is kinda uncomfortable for me. The longer I go without a partner, the more down adn lonely I feel. I'm hoping that I do meet a nice person soon though. Oh shush, call me great again and you'll get me to blush! Health and happiness to you too! See you next episode! (And I'm beyond sorry that it took four months to get this out OTL)

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**I think I rewrote the first few chapters of this about four times before I decided fuck it, that'll do and carried on to more interesting things (like setting up the importance of Kagura). So the first bit is a bit bleh, but hopefully it gets better!**

**More compassionate Mio! Really, Kagura is such a wonderful character and I think Sesshomaru/Kagura is one of the very few canon character pairings I genuinely ship. She's my favourite female character in InuYasha and if I can't have lots of Bankotsu in this fic, then I'm gonna make sure there's a fair amount of Kagura from now on! Kagura actually becomes rather important soon. I have big plans!**

**This was a little torturous for me. Its been so long since I've written anything that I felt so rusty. Hopefully the next chapter will be better now I've warmed up with this chapter.**


	22. Scroll Twenty One

**I realised after I posted the last chapter that I didnt thank everyone that had read the fic so far. I'm sorry for that! I really do appreciate everyone that reads this fic, even if Im an asshole and forget to thank you guys occasionally.**

**This chapter in part follows the plot of episode 162: Forever with Lord Sesshomaru. Any dialogue taken from the episode comes from the English Dubbed version.**

**Thank you to everyone that read my last chapter!**

**Im gonna run right into this chapter. Hope you guys enjoy.**

* * *

**Kagome Kagome**

Scroll Twenty One

* * *

The sound of rustling fabric in my ear roused me. After a few lethargic blinks and the rise and fall of panic as my mind came to terms with why everything was so dark, I realised that I had fallen asleep waiting up for Lord Sesshomaru and Master Jaken to return. A little groan sounded in the back of my throat as I raised a hand to massage the krick in my neck. I was sat up against the wall of the cave. It was a less than comfortable place to find yourself falling asleep in.

"Oh, I'm sorry I woke-"A yawn broke up the apology. "You, Lady Mio," Rin's little voice finished.

A moment later I felt her body lay at my side, and her head rest on by chest. A little smile played on my face as my hands raised to stroke through her hair, picking at a little knot I found in the greasy strands. On nights when Rin's nightmares were bad, I would wake to find her curling up against my side. It wasn't uncommon for her to seek comfort in being close to me. "It's okay, sweetheart," I crooned softly, stroking her hair away from her face as she settled back down to sleep. "It's okay."

Her chilly cheek pressed into the side of my neck. "Lady Mio?" she whispered softly.

"Yes, Rin?"

Her fingers toyed with my obi, picking at the tattered fabric. "Do you think Lord Sesshomaru will be okay? Kagura said that he might not get through wherever they were going alive." Rin's little voice was filled with worry.

I exhaled softly, not entirely sure how to answer the question. I was worried about the same thing. I had been since Kagura had said those words. "He's Lord Sesshomaru," I assured, trying to convince myself of his immortality in the process. "He'll be okay. Back before you know it." I didn't have too much confidence in my own words, but Rin needed to hear them. I needed to hear them, too. "Get some sleep. He'll be back tomorrow, I'm sure. You won't be able to greet him properly if you don't get enough sleep."

* * *

"Keep within shouting distance, Rin," I called after the girl as she skipped off into the brush. The two of us had awoken to an empty cave. Lord Sesshomaru and Master Jaken hadn't returned yet, so we'd decided to busy ourselves with searching for breakfast and refilling our dwindling stocks. We were running low on quite a few supplies now. I didn't want us to be caught out without any food. it would be a total distaster.

"Yes, Lady Mio," Rin called back at me from beyond a tree.

I smiled to myself, gripping at the thick hemp of my kosode, lifting it so I could weave around looking for root vegetables a bit easier.

After almost an hour, I hadn't gotten anywhere with my search, and sighed heavily as I straightened up, arching to crack my back. A satisfied groan sounded in the back of my throat. "Rin," I called out, then cocked my head waiting for her answer. After a moment of no answer, my brows drew together. "Rin? Ri-" My calling fell silent when I heard rustling in the bushes and a chill ran down my spine.

I took a step backwards, unsure about whether I should hide out or go in search of Rin. I knew how much human travellers scared her, and I didn't want her to be alone while there were men in the immediate area.

My plan of action was chosen for me when the bushes right in front of me shook and out filed almost a dozen men. My heart leapt into my throat before settling down again. They were wearing robes. These men were monks. They couldn't be that dangerous, then, right? Still I felt a little uneasy. Having Master Jaken or Lord Sesshomaru around had become a crutch for my confidence as of late. I felt nervous being around someone I didn't know with the two of them both absent.

The head of the group's black eyes turned to me and he held up a hand. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks and all eyes turned to me.

I shifted, even more nervous with so many eyes on me.

"What is a woman doing out here alone, so far from any village?" the head of the group asked with no small amount of worry, lifting his straw hat upwards slightly so our eyes could meet.

How did I answer that one? I doubted 'I'm travelling with a band of demons' would go well as far as explanations went. My lips quivered as I tried to think up an believable explanation on the spot. My hand shot up to tuck my hair behind an ear and the man's demeanour changed. His eyes narrowed and his shoulders tensed. Behind him a wave of whispering sounded.

"Ah, I see now," his voice rumbled.

I was confused by the dismissal in his tone. He'd gone from worried to dismissing in a fraction of a second. The confusion I felt dissipated when my hand dropped and I looked down at it out of self-conscious worry. From my wrist the deep blue moon tattooed onto my burned flesh stared up at me. They thought I was a criminal, and that immedaite assumption had made them lose all worry for my wellbeing.

Weren't these men supposed to be monks?

From behind the leader, a young man stepped forwards. "Please, we don't mean to scare you. Would you allow us to escort you safely to the nearest village?"

That was the sort of reception I had expected from a group of travelling monks, but it made me just as uneasy as the dismissal of me for my supposed crimes. "No," I denied quietly with a shake of my head. "Thank you, but I am fine as I am." I bowed my head to them and took a few limping steps back.

The worried eyes of the young man stared back at me. "But this forest is dangerous for a woman alone. Please allow us to help you."

"Thank you, but really, I am fine," I assured, taking another step back. My back connected with a tree trunk and I gasped out in shock. My heart was thundering in my chest. When had I become so dependent on Master Jaken and Lord Sesshomaru to feel any sort of confidence feeling safe around people? I span around and pushed around the tree.

"Wait!" the young man called out, but he was reprimanded by his master in a low voice.

I didn't run far before I stumbled over a root and caught myself against a tree trunk.

"Lady Mio!" Rin called from behind me. Her hot hands found my waist. "Who were those men, Lady Mio? Are you okay?"

I shook my head gently, reaching up to grasp her shoulder as I pushed away the intense emotion I was feeling. "They were just travelling monks, sweetheart." My lips pulled up into a tight little smile as I pushed myself to stand up again. "Come on, let's get back to the cave and wait for Lord Sesshomaru." I'd feel better around A-Un. "Come on."

Empty handed but eager to get back to the cave, it only took us a few minutes to get back. I moved to greet A-Un, pressing my face against A's scaly cheek. Un laid his head on my shoulder.

In their cool embrace I felt myself begin to calm down. It had been a long time since I had had a panic attack like that. I idly scratched at Un's scaly neck.

"It's no good, Lord Sesshomaru. Neither of them are-" I span around at Master Jaken's voice. He was just waddling out of the mouth of the cave that Lord Sesshomaru was lounged against. His molten golden eyes caught mine and a thin silver brown arched upwards. I opened my mouth to say something. "Mio! There you are. Where were you?!" Master Jaken shrieked. "You were supposed to stay in the cave until Lord Sesshomaru and I returned!"

"We had to find breakfast. Our supplies are running short. Where's Kagura?" I couldn't see the woman around and I highly doubted she would have gone into the cave with Master Jaken.

Said imp huffed. "We left without her. Good riddance. She just used us to get into the borderland. The nerve!"

They left without her? Worry shot through me. What did that mean for her? Would Kagura be safe?

* * *

Days had passed and we were back on the road again, travelling at a languid pace. We searched high and low for food while we travelled, looking for anything we could store away. Any food we could stock up on was a brilliant find right now, when forraging had become rather scarce.

"If we dont find more substantial ffood soon, we're going to starve, Master Jaken," I muttered gravely to the imp as we walked along a flat dusty road. "We can't live on just nuts and berries. We need to find something decent soon." My eyes turned to our Lord, who was walking in front of us with A-Un and Rin at his side. "Or find some money and buy something from a market. Rin and I could really benefit from some rice or even some meat in our stomachs."

The imp huffed and waved his staff in my direction. "I've told you before, Mio. We will not stoop to buying anything form a human market!"

I chewed my lip and exhaled deeply. I didn't want Master Jaken's supremecy and stubborness to kill Rin and I, but there was very little I could do with Lord Sesshomaru with us. It was easy enough to convince Master Jaken when the threat of Lord Sesshomaru didn't loom over him - I had almost done so before, the last time we talked about food - but right now Lord Sesshomaru was so close that I wouldn't be able to convince Master Jaken to buy food for me if I laid at his feet starving to death.

So after a moment's hesitation, I strode forwards with purpose.

Master Jaken squawked my name, but I ignored him.

"Lord Sesshomaru." Amber eyes turned down to me. "Lord Sesshomaru, our food stocks are running dangerously low. We've only got a few days of food at best. Really, we need something more than the nuts and berries we've been eating. We need rice or meat. Something really substantial."

His eyes slid shut in a languid blink as he turned away from me. "You will not go to a human village alone."

I huffed. These men were going to kill us with their stubborness.

* * *

"Lady Mio!" A-Un landed in front of me and Rin climbed down off them. "Look, I got us a yam!"

True to her word the girl had a mountain yam in her grasp. "Oh, Rin, that's brilliant! Come on, let's go tell Master Jaken that we have something nice for dinner. I'm sure he'll appreciate the good news." Lord Sesshomaru had wandered off in the same way he did most days, leaving the five of us to deal with making camp and finding our own food.

"Yes! Come on, Lady Mio!" Rin raced off towards camp and I followed behind with a smile.

I was right about Master Jaken's reaction. He couldn't have celebrated any harder over eating something other than nuts and berries. I couldn't prepare the yam quick enough for Master Jaken, and received some unhappy whines because of it. It was difficult enough to prepare it without my kaiken.

But eventually the yam was cooked and divided between the three of us and devoured. Now the three of us were laid comfortably around the fire. I had my dochuugi around me and was close to falling asleep.

Rin and Master Jaken were chatting quietly among themselves.

"After he defeats Naraku, then what do you think Lord Sesshomaru is going to do?"

I blinked my eyes open, turning them to Rin and Master Jaken curiously. Though I was still highly uncomfortable over the thought of Lord Sesshomaru killing anyone, I was also curious about the answer. What would Lord Sesshomaru do when his goal was achieved?

Master Jaken stared into the fire. "You probably don't know about this, but Lord Sesshomaru has long been in search of personal power. He will undoubtedly become the greatest demon of all time and will reign over his own empire. When that happens, I will become the empire's chief minister."

As Master Jaken bit into a lizard that he had caught for himself, I chewed on my lip and tried to picture that. Lord Sesshomaru as the lord of an empire... I could definitely see him gaining so much power that he could have his own empire. Lord Sesshomaru was strong already, and every day I saw him get stronger. But as for actually ruling an empire? I couldn't see it. He was nomadic by nature, and enjoyed his solitude. It wasn't the type of personality that would be great at ruling an empire.

"This empire of Lord Sesshomaru's," Rin muttered. "What position do you think I might have in it?"

Master Jaken made a questioning noise in the back of his throat. "You mean you intend to follow us up until then?" He questioned uneasily. His large yellow eyes turned to me, and there was worry in his eyes.

I chewed on my lip harder. Master Jaken hadn't expected that, clearly, and it was easy to see that the mortality of humans still worried him greatly. I could still remember the conversation we had about it when he laid dying of poison. He didn't want to see us grow old and die. He idn't want to get so attached to us that he would suffer watching us get old like that.

The expression in his eyes hardened into something malicious and he crossed his arms looking away from the both of us. He was pushing us away again. "Lord Sesshomaru _is _strong, but who knows how long it will take to create the empire? To us demons, a hundred years is nothing at all. But to a human like you, time is everything." His gaze cut to Rin, who had pulled back a little, starting to get upset. "By the time the Lord's empire is created, you'll be long gone."

"Jaken!" I snapped, moving forwards to wrap my arms around Rin as she looked sadly down into the fire. "That was out of line."

He only looked shocked at my outburst for a moment before he turned away with a guilty frown.

"That won't happen," Rin whispered, clinging to my dochuugi. She buried her face into my neck. "I won't die."

Her words pierced me. "Oh, Rin, honey... " I didn't know what to say. Rin was very well aware of the mortality of humans. She just wanted to believe that she would survive to be with Lord Sesshomaru forever. That was even worse than someone who didn't know about death. I didn't know how to broach this subject gently. I kissed the crown of her head, tolding her tightly until she fell asleep.

In a bit of an awkawrd shuffle, I moved her to lay against the base of a tree, then I rounded on Master Jaken. "How could you be so cruel to her?"

He shrank into himself, refusing to meet my eyes. "She can't be under the delusion that she will live a demon's lifespan."

"There are better ways of broaching her impeding mortality than maliciously lashing out to hurt her." A sad frown furrowed my brows together. "It's okay to be scared of us dying, Jaken, but I won't tolerate you taking it out on us like that. I won't let you push us away like we mean nothing to you." The past few months travelling together was too much for him to believe that we would let him just push us away because he was scared of watching us die. "You owe Rin an apology."

He owed her a gargantuan apology for that conversation.

He still refused to meet my eyes, and more frustrated than ever at him, I turned my bck and moved to lay against A-Un.

Silence whistled through the camp, thick and heavy.

"You were just as upset as Rin over what I said," Master Jaken commented after a long stretch of tense silence.

"Of course I was. Rin didn't deserve any of that being said to her."

He grunted deep in his throat. "That's not it. You were personally affected by what I said." A moment's silence, as if he was wondering whether he should say what he was thinking or not. Evidently he decided that he should. "You're scared of your own death."

I swallowed thickly, curling my fingers in the decorative trim of A-Un's saddle. "Of course I am. Who isn't terrified of dying?" I had already escaped death twice. I couldn't let myself believe that I was invincible because of that. My death was a very real thing, and here it was far more likely than it had ever been back in Tokyo. "I could be attacked by bandits or demons, eaten by wils animals, I could catch an illness here and die, tomorrow, next week, in a years time. My death could be just around the corner, Jaken, and being told that in such a malicious way is horrifying."

More tense silence. "I didn't mean to upset you so much."

I just squeezed my eyes shut and curled into a tight ball.

* * *

I moaned as cool scales nudged my cheek, drawing me out of a nightmare filled with ravenous canines. "A-Uh?" I yawned, blinking sleepily up at the dragon. "What is it?"

Un rumbled deeply, nudging me again, almost frantic as A began to join in. Clearly the two of them needed me up. Now.

"What is it?" I was awake now and my eyes swept over the camp on reflex. "Where are Rin and Master Jaken?" Neither of them were at the tree they had both curled up under to sleep. Un nudged me and rumbled again, pushing me towards the edge of camp.

I stumbled when I was nudged again, but I was quick to push forwards, calling out Rin and Master Jaken's name. I didn't get an answer.

Searching through the forest drew nothing but more worry and frustration when I couldn't find either Rin or Master Jaken. I could feel the panic beginning to mount as I rounded a tree. I bumped right into something and heard the rattle of metal. I yelped as I fell backwards, but was saved from falling on my ass when a hot arm banded around my waist.

In the dark, I could barely make out the golden eyes staring down at me.

"Lord Sesshomaru!"

* * *

**Pub Quiz Area!**

**Buddhism - **Part of the creed of Buddhists is to treat all sentient beings with sympathetic understanding, compassion and loving kindness. I wanted to add this facet to Master Ungai's personality because he's already shown to go against this part of the creed, and I think it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to believe that he would show that sort of uncaring attitude towards criminals. I also wanted to add the kind yonger monk actually adhering to the creed

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**Review Corner!**

**Trinabear - **Thanks for the review! Actually, yes. Mio has a little bit of a track record for being jealous and there's nothing better for stroking the ego than the person that you like acting jealously. Mio obviously didn't realise this, but I'm glad you picked that up! I actually already have it planned how the shard is going to be removed, but no spoilers so you'll have to be patient. Ohhh, its been years since I last watched the original series. I watched Final Act last year, but mostly I'm a manga reader. I've always preferred manga to anime. I don't actually remember the pig demon. I know that InuYasha has a running theme of antagonists stealing away beautiful women. Wasn't there a water spirit that did the same at one point? Right, a little searching found the episode for me, so I'm gonna brb to go watch the episode. Oh wow, what a ridiculously cheesy plot, though InuYasha 'in love' was brilliant. It sounds like an interesting plot, and I'd love to develop on something like that. Perhaps in a different story, though. I do have some extremely vague plans for another Sesshomaru fic after I've finished Kagome Kagome. Maybe I could incoroprate a plot like that into the new fic when i get around to fleshing it out? Thank you thank you! I promise I'll be updating more regularly now. I've managed to make time in the past four months to draw every day. I can certainly make time to write something every day.

**TimeLady S0nya - **I'm back! I'm really sorry for how long this took. I've been so determined to get better at my art that everything else has been put on the backburner. But now I'm happy with my improvement in the past few months, I can slow down a little and allow for other hobbies (namely writing) to make their way back into my free time again. Kagome Kagome is my priority at the moment. I wasn't hurt. Quite the opposite actually. Apart from my abysmal love life, I've been the best I've been in ages. Just more focussed on drawing and painting than anything else. Ah no worries about the selfishness. I feel exactly the same about the fics I follow! AHA! Someone else that agrees with my love for Kagura. You'll love the direction this storys headed in.

**Setuna1986 - **Guess who's back, back again. Bee is back, tell a friend. I promise to atually stick around this time. You don't have to be sorry for not reviewing. I totally get being busy, considering I haven't done much fanfic writing for like a thousand years (what, three months?) because I've been super busy. Thank you so much for your review, as always! Im going back to new chapters every week now, so there'll be plenty of chapters in the near future for you to read.

**Guest - **I love Bankotsu, too. I actually have the very beginnings of a Bankotsu story on here, though when I get the chance I'm going to completely gut it and put some more time into it. I have big plans for that fic and when I get into a comfortable place with Kagome Kagome again, I'm going to work on Perfidious properly. I love how caring Mio is. Ah, she's not letting jealousy blind her any more. She learned her lesson with Sara. Some lovely character development for her there. I'm glad that I updated too. I didn't realise how much I'd missed this fic until I started writing it yesterday. I'm definitely not gonna leave it hanging for so long again. Oh totally. Sesshomaru isn't going to let anyone do anything to his Mio. if they do think to do something stupid, they're as good as dead. He's avoiding her a little at the moment, but that doesn't stop him from protecting her. Thank you!

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**My original plan for the episode _Forever With Lord Sesshomaru _had Mio already learning from Sesshomaru to fight, but the fics progressed much slower than I anticipated. meaning romantic drama was a bit more important to me than fighting development. So I had to seriously rethink how I was going to tackle this episode and make it fit into the story. I hope I did an okay job!**

**I wrote a good portion of this chapter because my body decided that five hours sleep was enough sleep and I was laying awake at half three in the morning wondering when I would get back to sleep. Answer was I didn't. So at half four, I gave up and started writing this to pass the time before I had to go to work. So if there's a dip in quality at any point during this chapter, blame the almost sleepless night! I'm going to.**

**I forgot how much I hated transcribing the anime. Scripting the episode in this chapter was so painful for me. It took ages. It's the price you gotta pay for fanfics, though, I suppose.**

**I'm a terrible, dirty procrastinator. I actually reread the entirety of the fic to procrastinate writing this chapter. I deserve a slap.**

**And a bit more Jaken development. Arguments make the world go round, after all.**


	23. Scroll Twenty Two

**Wey-hey, I now have chapters waiting to be posted again, which means you guys get regular updates again. I'm sorry for the uneven posting since my surprise hiatus. I promise that it'll be much better starting now. Posting every week again, hopefully. This time chapters will posted on Mondays.**

**Thank you to everyone that read my last chapter, and all the new people that have followed the story. It's very much appreciated!**

**This chapter in part follows the plot of episode 162: Forever With Lord Sesshomaru. Any dialogue taken from the episode will be from the English Dubbed version for consistency.**

**Onwards!**

* * *

Kagome Kagome

Scroll Twenty Two

* * *

"Master Jaken and Rin! They're-"

"Not in camp as they, and you, should be at this time of night," Lord Sesshomaru interrupted, letting his arm drop from around my waist. I took a measured step back and ducked my head slightly, feeling thoroughly reprimanded by the return of the mom voice. "Rin has been taken by Ongokuki. Come." With a swish of white fabric, and the thick fur of his tail brushing lightly against my cheek, he began walking through the forest.

"Ongo-" Realising that Lord Sesshomaru didn't intent to stop if I didn't move, I hurried after him at a quick hobbling pace that really didn't do much to aid in catching up to him. Lord Sesshomaru was more than half a foot taller than me and his strides were wide and confident, much longer strides than my own lopsided steps. "Wait, Lord Sesshomaru, did you say Ongokuki?"

His pace slowed just enough for me to draw up beside him. His eyes found mine. "You know of this demon?"

"Yes, I've read about him before." I'd put immeasurable hours into reading up on all kinds of mythology, both Japanese and otherwise, in my life, though I could only really remember Ongokuki being mentioned once, in what had been my favourite textbook in the years since I had found it. I had found the textbook in a forgotten pile of books that were rarely even glanced at in the very back corner of my University's library. I'd thrown myself head-first into reading the book from cover to cover (and revisiting it several times afterwards) because of the sheer amount of detail it went into about demons and mythological creatures that I hadn't heard of before. Ongokuki had a whole page dedicated to him. I remembered in fuzzy detail what the book said about him. "Ongokuki is a demon that-"

"I know of Ongokuki," he interrupted.

"Oh." I fell silent after that little murmur, eyes dropping to my dusty feet as they shuffled through the fallen leaves and patchy grass of the forest floor. If not for the bright full moon filtering through the spaces in the canopy, I would have hardly been able to see my own feet.

It didn't take long for my thoughts to drift to Rin. The thought that she had been taken away by a demon child trafficker was terrifying. The poor girl must be terrified herself. "Will Rin be okay, Lord Sesshomaru?"

"Your worry is uneccessary."

The familiarity of that phrase bought some comfort to me, and despite the still mounting worry, I felt a little smile curl the corner of my lips. While I knew that my worry wasn't unfounded, Lord Sesshomaru had never been wrong when he had spoken that phrase. Things always had a way of working out for us. Rin had all three of us (I assumed Master Jaken was off carrying out his own search for her) searching for her. With two brilliant fighters like Lord Sesshomaru and Master Jaken looking for her, she would be found and taken back from Ongokuki.

Confidence placed in our cause, the two of us walked in almost perfect silence, besides the scuffling noise bought on by my limping and the rattle of Lord Sesshomaru's armour.

The silence was broken not by me, as it usually was, but by Lord Sesshomaru. "The villages in this area are unsafe for you to purchase necessities from."

The villages in this area were unsa- Oh. _Oh! _The memory of our earlier conversation hit me. I'd said that we needed to buy some food that was more substantial than the foraged goods we'd been living on, and he had shot me down. I had honestly expected that to be the end of it until the next time I got so annoyed with not having anything different than shrubs to eat that I would make a comment to either he or Master Jaken. But Lord Sesshomaru had clearly gone out and checked the villages in the area to deem whether they were safe for me to go into.

A warm feeling bloomed in my chest. "Thank you." Even if I was no further forwards in my want to buy rice or meat, the fact that Lord Sesshomaru had gone out of his way to check the villages despite him shooting me down proved that it wasn't an impossibility now. Perhaps soon I would be able to go into a village and buy something nice for us to eat.

Cheered up by the prospect, and mind filling with all the different things I could possibly cook for our group, my step took on an extra little bounce.

* * *

I didn't know when I had broken the silence Lord Sesshomaru and I were walking in and started talking recipes and ideas for what I could feed Rin and Master Jaken with, but I was having a single-sided debate on whether soy sauce would improve the roasted fish that made up our diet when we were in close proximity with any body of water when I realised that Lord Sesshomaru wasn't walking beside me.

I paused mid word and turned to see him stood a few feet back, head tilted slightly and eyes narrowed. After a moment his eyes narrpwed further, like he was reacing to- He could hear something, I realised. I strained my own ears, attempting and failing to hear what he was obviously listening to. My ears were clearly not as good as Lord Sesshomaru's.

"My Lord?" I broached in a whispery voice. I didn't particularly want those intense, unhappy eyes focussed on me at the moment, but, as expected, the call drew his attention, and those sharp eyes, to me. His glare seared me. "You hear something," I stated needlessly, trying to keep the nervous warble form my voice. I swallowed nervously then tilted my chin up slightly. Despite my nervousness about talking to Lord Sesshomaru when he looked so unhappy, I couldn't just not know. "Is it... Can you hear Rin, my Lord?"

He couldn't, is what I hoped his answer would be. If I were to hear Rin's voice in this situation, if I were to hear just a whisper of a possibility of her voice, I would run directly for her. I needed to know she was safe. I needed her in my arms, safe. I would like to think that Lord Sesshomaru would have a similar reaction. Lord Sesshomaru had always acted with the intent to keep Rin safe and the thought that he was listening to her, knowing she was trapped by a child-trafficking demon, didn't sit well with me.

His golden gaze ran over me slowly before turning in the direction that his head had been tilted in. "Do you believe Rin can survive alone?"

"What sort of question is that?" My voice was sharp and hard, hot with anger. I was appalled he had even asked that question. Every conversation I had about that girl with him spoke about how much she adored him and wanted to stay with him. Now he was walking about her surviving alone? "She'll never have to survive alone. She has us. I won't ever let her-" My tirade stuttered to a stop when Lord Sesshomaru spoke up.

"She is calling for us. Come."

His words left me feeling confused, but I followed after him imediately. Wasn't he just talking about Rin surviving alone? Now he was going to her rescue because she has called him? I was happy, of course, that he had chosen that he was going to save her. I would have raised hell if he had chosen not to, but the comment on her surviving alone threw me. Why would he even ask that, if he was looking for her?

Was it an insecurity in his mind? Was it something more sinister than that?

It was plaguing me.

I was jerked, mentally and physically, from my thoughts when a hang grasped the collar of my kosode and yanked me out of the way of a small, condensed explosion just in front of us. My wide eyes turned up to Lord Sesshomaru as he gripped my shoulder tightly.

"Stay in the tree line, away from the monks," he ordered in a low voice, not even glancing down at me as the dust began to clear in front of us.

Monks? I searched out the monks in the thinning dust, and found Rin held under the arm of a weathered old monk. One that I recognised. "It's..." I murmured quietly. It was the head monk of the band that had found me while Rin and I were waiting for Lord Sesshomaru and Master Jaken to return from the borderland.

I lurched forward as Rin called out to Lord Sesshomaru, but was held back by the aforementioned demon with that same firm hand on my shoulder. "Stay," he ordered again, squeezing my shoulder firmly before letting it go. The hot caress of his silk sleeve brushing against me as he passed did nothing to calm me as Rin started screaming at the monk to let her go.

Not for the first time, I felt helpless in the situation, watching Lord Sesshomaru's back as he approached Rin and the monk slowly. Chewing on my lip and shifting my weight from foot to aching foot, I desperately hoped that Lord Sesshomaru would get Rin back safe.

"This demon's foul aura must be dealt with," the monk said with purpose, lifting his staff. That had to be a sign, as the rest of the monks in the area moved as one, circling Lord Sesshomaru, first at a brisk walk, then gaining speed until they were running around the demon, trapping him there. When they began throwing paper tags at him, ice trickled down my spine.

I took a step towards them, calling out in frantic worry. My call was echoed by Rin's own frantic cry.

An energy built up around ord Sesshomaru, shining a painfully bright pale blue light and sending the hair on my body standing on end. Squinting, I turned my face away, trying to protect my eyes.

"Master," a young voice gasped out. "He's still alive."

When the kicked up dust settled again, Lord Sesshomaru was stood, tall as ever and completely unharmed. My shoulders sagged in relief. From the stories I'd grown up hearing, and seeing Miroku using those sorts of tags when we had fought that army, I had thought that he really would have been hurt. But here he was standing safe.

Another order from the master monk had his followers circling Lord Sesshomaru again.

He paused in his stride as the monks thrust out their beads, tilting his chin upwards. His eyes swept over the monks slowly. Had they trapped him? It was hard to believe that a handful of humans had the power to stop him, when I had watched him go head-to-head with that demon Takemaru.

"Evil demon begone!"

Energy began cracking around the demon and he winced, one eye squinting a little, like he was fighting against a particularly nasty headache.

I stumbled forwards a few steps forwards. "Lord Sesshoma-" I stumbled though, halting when red bled into his sclera. "-ru..." That gave him a haunting look. He had never looked so much like a demon in that moment. I found myself staring fascinatedly at him as he began to growl, baring sharp fangs that seemd to grow bigger and thicker before my eyes.

As a pink aura began to surround the Lord, his skin began to shift, around his face particularly. The shape of his jaw began to change, elongating. I was struck with a memory from many years ago. On one of our first double dates, Saburo, Yuta, Maria and I had found ourselves curled up in Saburo's apartment at the time watching one of Maria's favourite English films, with subtitles for the three of us that couldn't speak the language, thankfully. I remembered the way Saburo clutched my hand as the vivid transformation scene played.

Thoe haunting red eyes turned to me and the snarl deepened before a pink light flooded the area and a wave of energy pulsed from Lord Sesshomaru, sending the monks and I sprawling backwards.

I grunted as I pitched backwards, falling hard on my backside and scraping up my palms as I threw my arms out to catch myself.

The sharp sting of the dirt and gravel in my scraped up hands had me hissing a little as I brushed them gently on my tatty kosode skirt to dislodge the little stones. My hands had constant scrapes on them from falling down, so the little pain was short lived. It wasn't long before I was on my feet again and limping towards where Rin and Lord Sesshomaru stood, face to face.

"Follow me if you so choose," our Lord murmured. He swept around, approaching me at hs usual slow, deliberate pace.

I offered a little smile to him as I brushed my palms over my skirt again, dislodging more little stones.

"I would not have her leave," his low voice rumbled as he passed me. "The choice to stay or go is her own."

"She'll always choose to stay." I was firm in my belief. Rin would always choose to stay with Lord Sesshomaru. He'd provided too much for her, for us, for anyone of us to want to leave willingly. With time, he'd only gotten more caring. While we had our disputes, he didn't stop caring for us. That was something Rin needed above all else.

I turned to follow him, but paused when I heard Rin's little sound of distress. The master monk, on his hands and knees, had a tight grip on Rin's hand. I limped towards the two. "Rin."

"He is a demon! Not someone a human child should follow!" the monk insisted, grave and desperate.

Rin struggled against his hold, breaking free. "Let me go!" She span on her heel, pelting towards me. She wrapped herself around me, burying her face against my chest. "Lady Mio!"

A smile spread across my face as I held her close. "I'm so glad you're safe, honey." I dropped a kiss to the crown of her head, holding her tighter.

"You're that woman," the master monk muttered. "From the forest. You're with the demon, too?"

My eyes met his warily for a moment before I nudged Rin, dropping my eyes to her. "Come on, let's go after Lord Sesshomaru. We don't want him to leave us behind."

She looked up at me with wide brown eyes, then smiled. She took off, running right down the centre of the large rut in the ground Lord Sesshomaru's energy had created.

"Come back, girl!" the master monk cried out. "Humans and demons live in different worlds!"

I bristled at his words, and bristled even more when Rin actually paused in her tracks. Rin didn't need to be influenced by other people's racism. She could make her own decisions based on her own experiences.

"You know I'm right," he continued. "Let's go back."

I chewed on my lip as she turned to him. When she smiled and waved at him then ran after Lord Sesshomaru again, my lips parted in amazement. It took a truly strong child to be able to form their own decisions when someone of real authority was trying to impose their own views on them. Rin was one of those special few.

The monk's shoulders slumped in defeat as he watched her go. "Why did she go?" Those dark eyes turned up to me. "Will you go?"

"Yes." I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, keeping my eyes on my family. I didn't move yet, though. "What makes a demon a person is exactly the same as what makes a human a person. They're no different than us. He's her father, no matter what people say about him."

"You believe that a demon can be a good parent to a human girl?"

I smiled a pitying smile down at the monk. "The fact that you don't see that he can tells me that-"

"Mio," said demon's voice called across the clearing. He was stood at the edge of the trees, body turned to me, with Rin clinging to the fabric of his sash, also looking back at me.

"Come on, Lady Mio!" Rin called, throwing one arm up to wave me forwards.

I left the monk without another word. He was old and set in his ways. No amount of explaining would sway his thoughts or make him understand. I had more important things to be doing than speaking to a brick wall of a man.

My hand clasped with Rin's when I reached her, and the three of us began an ambling pace into the forest. I squeezed her hand, ignoring the sting of the movement as she helped me over a fallen log in our path.

"You gave us all quite a fright, Rin." I pressed a kiss to her forehead, holding her close as we stumbled through the forest together, following behind Lord Sesshomaru as he led the way. "We've all be up searching for you all night."

"I'm sorry to worry you, Lady Mio," her little voice muttered.

"I'm just glad you're safe now. I'm sure Master Jaken will be when we find him, too." I lowered my voice to a conspiratory whisper. "I think he might be the most worried."

It had to have taken over an hour of trudging through the forest, in which time the night broke and the morning light came flooding through the green, before we found Master Jaken staggering exhaustedly through the thick grass of an open path at the edge of the forest, calling out our names.

Rin and I had been sharing little yawns between ourselves throughout the walk. It seems like we weren't the only two exhausted by the nights events. The three of us would sleep well tonight.

"Jaken," Lord Sesshomaru called.

The exhausted demon stopped in his stride and blinked tiredly up at our Lord for a moment. When realisation set in, he jumped, grappling for his staff when it fell from his hands. "Lord Sesshomaru! Oh, and you too Rin!" Wide yellow eyes fell on me. "And Mio!" The relief and happiness in his voice was almost as palpable as it was contagious. I found myself grinning down at him.

The stress of the last few hours just made me want to settle into our usual schedule; all together, safe and happy.

"Where is Au-Un at?" It looked like even Lord Sesshomaru wanted us all together. Master Jaen darted off to get the dragon immediately.

Rin and I wandered from our places at Lord Sesshomaru's side to find something to occupy ourselves with while we waited for Master Jaken to return. I decided to take a short wander around the field, enjoying the feel of the warm grass between my toes and the breeze flirting through my growing hair. I raised a hand to the locks, sectioning off a small piece and holding it out so I could see it. The ever-present grease in my hair had darkened the bleached colour a little, and the time since I had last cared for it had it growing out a fair amount. It was almost brushing my shoulders now. For the first time in years, I'd be able to tie it all back if I wanted to.

I would have to find a way to cut it soon. I liked having my hair so short that I didn't have to worry about it too much. Long, it got in the way more often than not. My eyes turned to Lord Sesshomaru, stood behind Rin as she admired a flower besides a group of stone shrines. His hair was as long as I was tall. I couldn't imagine what trouble he went through with his hair.

I could see Rin's mouth moving as she spoke to him, and his face went slack in shock for a moment before he turned away.

What had Rin said to incite that reaction in him?

* * *

**Information time!**

**Textbook - **If there are any other history buffs reading, you know what its like to have a favourite textxbook. An old, much-loved, falling apart at the seams book that you read over and over again because you just love what it has to say. Mio is a major Japanese history nut. Having a favourite textbook is completely normal. I have my own favourite textbook: an old Egyptology textbook printed in the 1940s. I love that thing to bits.

**Paper tags - **Called ofuda in Japanese, they're talismans made out of paper, wood or textile used as wards to protect a family against the supernatural and diseases. Portable versions called omamori are used to protect a single person. I'm actually not 100% sure that what the monks are using are omamori, but this was the closest thing I could find to them.

**The film date - **Mio et al watched an old classic werewolf film: _American Werewolf in London. _Now, there are obviously great differences between Sesshomaru's transformation and David's, but there are a few similarities. Sesshomaru certainly isnt as dramatic as David, and he doesnt sprout hair quite like that, but the way that his teeth grow and his jaw elongates to create the canine shape holds big similarities with the forced transformations I've seen in the InuYasha anime.

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**Review Corner!**

**TikiKiki - **Thank you for your review and I'm so glad you like the fic! The fortune and the significance of the tattoo/burn will be explored very deeply in later chapters, specifically the last few chapters. As of now, though, it's widely accepted within the fic that Mio's tattoo is to show that she's a criminal (even though we as the audience know that's wrong). It's what tattoos were used for in that time period so anyone there will see the tattoo and just believe she's a criminal. So Lord Sesshomaru and Jaken just don't care about it. Marking criminals with tattoos is a silly human thing that they have no care for, so they don't bother bringing it up. Mio is just another person to them. Hope that clears things up.

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**I felt so rusty writing this after so long. Every damned paragraph seemed to start with _I_ or _he_. I really do need to make more time for writing now. Rust is not a good feeling.**

**I was so excited to get to this point. One of the first scenes that I had planned with Mio when she was just beginning to form, way back when I started this fic, was from this episode. One of her first ever scenes in my head was in the moment when the monks try to subdue Sesshomaru. It was so great getting to this part. Its taken so long to get to this part, but there was a lot of nostalgia with this chapter, I suppose. Mio had turned out so differently than I had initially thought her in this scene, way back when, and it was so fun writing the differences in her character and seeing how much shes developed since her creation. And not all her development is positive, which I love as well. Negative character development is just as important as positive character development, I feel.**

**I remember why I dislike following canon scenes while writing this. I struggled so much with making this seem like it was happening from a participating character's perspective rather than just a novelisation of the anime episode. Trying to fit Mio in without her just standing there watching all the events was difficult this chapter. I think I got back into a bit of a swing when I started describing Sesshomaru's forced transformation.**

**In this chapter we've closed a door on all the character building filler episodes. I already miss all the silly antics the fille episodes got up to. Now, though, we're opening up to some much more important stuff to the plot. We're drawing to the end of part one of the series, and barrelling towards the final film. **

**I'm actually debating whether or not I should add the final film into this fic. What do you guys think?**


	24. Scroll Twenty Three

**New chapter, yay! I'm sorry I'm a day late!**

**Thank you to everyone that read/favourited/added this to your alerts. Much appreciated, as always.**

**And we have a regular scheduling again. It's only taken me months to get to this point. I'm sorry for the long wait, but I hope you guys can forgive me in lieu of a new chapter! Some of my readers will love this, because it's quite heavy on Kagura's involvement this chapter.**

**Okay, enough rambling. Onwards we go!**

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**Kagome Kagome**

Scroll Twenty Three

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I shivered, holding my hands out to the small fire Master Jaken had built for us. Besides me, Rin leaned forwards eagerly, her nose twitching as she took in the scent of the almost cooked yams the two of us had found yesterday. It had been a massive find for us; half a dozen yams, all grown large and ready to be eaten.

"Careful," I warned, reaching out to tuck some hair behind the girl's ear. "Or you'll catch fire, and we don't want to lose any of that pretty hair, do we?" Though her round face would look cute with shorter hair, her long hair was beautiful and I would definitely be saddened if something happened to it. "After we've eaten, I'll comb it out for you. How does that sound?"

Her frwn told me everything. Rin, for her sweet nature, wasn't a fan of what one would consider girly. Sitting down and brushing the snarls and snags out of your hair was considered girly in Rin's books. I could see her growing up as quite the tomboy if she lived in my time.

"It won't be that bad," I promised. "I comb my hair every day. You don't see me complaining much, do you?" Since I'd been gifted the comb by Kagome, I'd put it to good use. It annoyed me that without the tangles in it, my hair was getting long, but the feeling of snag-free hair was greater than my annoyance at the length. "I could even braid some of those flowers that you picked this morning into it."

That seemed to tip the scales. With a dubious frown, she nodded slowly, as if I would retract my kind offer and attack her violently with the comb.

"Mio! Are those yams done yet?" Master Jaken barked from his spot next to A-Un, caring for the old wood of his staff.

"They smell pretty close," I replied, leaning down to sniff at the one closest to me. I tapped at the crisp skin, testing the texture. "I'd say just a couple more minutes."

An impatient grumble was my answer.

A quiet grunt and rattle of metal drew my gaze over my shoulder. Lord Sesshomaru was just straightening out of a crouch. I assume from jumping up onto the grassy knoll we had made camp on tonight. His eyes made their costumary sweep of the camp. Five people. No missing appendages. All was fine. I waited for his quiet greeting, for him to start talking quietly with Master Jaken, but that didn't come.

He frowned and turned away from the camp.

Lord Sesshomaru wasn't known for being particularly forth-coming with expressive emotion. That was something I had learned very early on in our travels with him, and had come to accept as the norm. You weren't like to see a smile on his face. Butthe opposite was true. While you were more likely to see him frown, that was still a fairly rare occurrence.

I wasn't the only person to notice this strange expressive show. Before I could get up and ask, Master Jaken was alreayd waddling towards him. "What's the matter, Lord Sesshomaru?" he queried.

Our lord's answer was too quiet for my ears, but the gust of wind immediately after made me assume that it was something to do with that. Kagura's sudden appearance cemented that assumption. There was now way Lord Sesshomaru wouldn't have noticed Kagura's presence. She greeted us with a little wave of her fan and a casual "ho".

"Kagura." I struggled to my feet as I greeted the woman, wincing as the pressure in my foot set off a painful throb.

My greeted was ignored in favour of a snidely mirthful retort to Master Jaken's less pleasant greeting. Her painted lips were curled into a dark smirk, like she knew something we didn't (very likely) and wasn't afraid of holding it over our heads. "Stuff it," she replied to the imp. "Unless you really don't care about the location of Naraku's heart."

There was the information that she wasn't afraid to hold above us.

Everyone stood a little straighter at the mention of Naraku.

Lord Sesshomaru was the one to push forwards, questioning her for more information.

Her dark mirth melted away into something more serious as she hummed. "Come on, Sesshomaru, you must have noticed it. No matter how many times you destroy Naraku's body, he won't die." My mind turned to the one time I had met Naraku, the babboon-skin clad man that had taunted us about Rin's capture. My teeth sank into my lower lip, working it painfully. I hadn't realised that the fights had gotten so bad that Naraku had had his body destroy and was still alive. How could someone survive that?

Rin gripped my hand tightly, tugging it to draw my attention away from my thoughts. I smiled down at her, squeezing her hand gently. "It's okay," I assured her in a whisper. Or, rather, I assured myself. Her gaze was much more steady adn strong than my own.

"Why should we trust you?" Master Jaken demanded, drawing my attention back to their conversation.

Kagura scoffed and looked away mulishly with her jaw set. "Okay, fine. Don't trust me if you don't want to." She slipped her hand into the collar of her beautiful kimono. Her fingers emerged holding delicately to a green-tinted crystal. I was wary, naturally. The last time she had showed us a crystal, my foot had hurt for days. There was no reaction in my foot, however. "But there's no harm in having one of these."

Master Jaken voice all of our thoughts. "What's that?"

Kagura stared down at the crystal, twisting it slowly within her fingers. "A crystal of demon energy. You see, not too long ago, Naraku received a nulling stone that hides a demon's energy. I'm guessing it's to hide the location of his heart. And these crystals lose their energy when they're near the stone. They're the key to finding Naraku's heart."

The last leg of her explanation flagged something in my mind. She was trying to get away from Naraku again. She wanted Lord Sesshomaru to get rid of him, so she could escape. Worry for her struck me again. What did Naraku do to her to make her want to get away so badly?

"Kagura," our Lord spoke, slow and low. "Are you trying to use me?" I wasn't the only one to notice that, then.

She started, flinching back a little before squaring her shoulders. She as silent for a moment before she mustered up the words to say. "You're the only one around who's capable of killing him," she declared, setting her jaw firmly again. "No one is as strong as you. Or as clever."

The silence was thick after her flattery, and it was clear that made her uncomfortable. She crouched, keeping her eyes adowncast and away from our gazes as she set the crystal in the grass. "I'm going to leave this here. The rest is up to you."

It only took one practised flourish to pluck a feather from her bun and make her leave.

"Kagura! Thank you!"

She scoffed at the yell, and a firm breeze hit me in the face.

I blinked as my hand dropped to my side, watching her leave. I hoped she managed to escape him. I shook my head of the thought of Kagura and Naraku and turned back to our camp, just as Lord Sesshomaru turned away from us, muttering to Master Jaken. It would do me no favours to be constantly worrying about her.

"B-but... what should I do with it?" Master Jaken questioned, crouching down to get a good look at the crystal without having to touch it.

Rin crouched besides him, also looking down at the crystal. "Why don't you just hold on to it?" she suggested.

I agreed with a little hum. "I think that would be for the best."

Large yellow eyes flickered between the both of us. "You think I should?"

"I don't get the feeling she was pulling a trick on us," Rin commented.

Once again I agreed. "Kagura hasn't always been on our side, but she has helped us more than she's hindered us, Master Jaken. I don't think she'd pull a trick on us now." Not while she was trying so hard to escape Naraku. We, more specifically Lord Sesshomaru, were her best shot for help with trying to escape. I don't think she would do anything to hinder any possible help. "I'll look after it if you want." It was small enough that I could carry it with the few other little trinkets I held. "Come on, let's not deliberate too hard over it right now. The yams are definitely done by now. Let's enjoy those then decide what to do when we're all full and thinking better."

Rin was the first to jump up at the mention of food, and Master Jaken wasn't too far behind her.

"I think she likes him," Rin claimed, grasping my hand and pulling me at her speed back towards the food.

"Likes who, honey?"

"Lord Sesshomaru! I think Kagura likes him."

That wasn't what I had thought I would hear. I could see it, I supposed, if I thought about it. Kagura didn't seem the type to lay flattery on as thick as she had back then without truly believing her words. She was too proud of a creature to bow and say someting she didn't believe.

Master Jaken didn't hold my sentiments. "What makes you say that?!"

"Well... she said all those nice things to him!"

The innocence of that statement bought a smile to my face. Wouldn't it be wonderful to live in that sort of world? Where things were as simple as that; if you spoke nicely of someone, you liked them. "Come on, Rin. Eat your yam, then I'll brush your hair."

"But Lady Mio!"

* * *

"Will you help her, my Lord?"

Days had passed since Kagura had come to us, asking for help and leaving behind the demon energy crystal, that I had tucked away safe with the few small trinkets I owned. We had settled down in a camp earlier in the evening and now the moon was high, the stars were bright, and Rin adn Master Jaken were snoring. Lord Sesshomaru and I were the two left awake, both of us using the time and silence to think.

Thoughts of the wind demon plagued my mind.

I couldn't just let them fester. I needed to know if he would give her the help she chased after.

"Who?"

"Kagura," I clarified, twisting around so I was looking up at him, perched on top of the grassy knoll we were camped on. "Will you help her?"

A thick silence followed my question, but eventually he shifted, turning his gaze up to the stars. "I will defeat Naraku," was what he supplied.

Yes, was what I drew from that. Yes, he would defeat Naraku and give Kagura her freedom, even if he wasn't doing this solely to help Kagura. A little smile curled my lips. "I'm glad." Kagura deserved her freedom. With Lord Sesshomaru working towards that cause, there was no way Naraku could keep her trapped.

She just had to be patient.

* * *

"I hear the river, Lady Mio! Maybe we can find some fish!"

I wasn't overly excited about the prospect of more fish in my diet, but her cheerfulness was contagious, and I found myself anticipating seeing the water and watching Rin catch fish. "I don't have anything to scale and gut them with, Rin. We won't get very far." After losing Tahei's kaiken in Takemaru's palace, I'd struggled with preparing food as well as I had done previously. It made meals, though still edible, a lot messier.

Grass gave way to rock and soon we found ourselves on a cliff's edge, by small waterfall and a rushing river.

"This might be a bit fast for us to catch fish in, Rin." But it would be perfect for us to replenish our water supply. "Why don't you go get our..." My voice trailed to nothing as something came over the waterfall, beating against rocks as it was moved along by the stream. My stomach rolled when I made out the shape of an arm and a torso. It was a person.

Master Jaken's next comment had my stomach rolling even more. "Eh? It's Kagura!"

I limped forwards, reaching into my sleeve to remove the small pouch I kept my trinkets in. Before I could even pull it from my sleeve, Rin had passed me and was already wading into the water. "Be careful, Rin. The water could be dangerous." More than ready to jump in after her, I dropped my pouch to the ground and watched the girl carefully.

Rin managed to grab Kagura's ankle and began leading her back towards the bank. She was almost half way back to the bank when she slipped.

"Rin!"

Master Jaken reacted before I did, grumbling in his usual way as he held his staff out for Rin to grab hold of. He slipped, too, pulled into the water by Rin's weight. My fingers just barely brushed his clothing as I reached out to catch him before he went in.

Lord Sesshomaru brushed past me, his warm fur brushing my cheek, as he pushed off the ground and sailed over the water with a powerful forwards jump. His arm swept out, catching Rin by her collar. Master Jaken, who had been clutching Rin's kosode, came with the girl. Lord Sesshomaru landed safe and dry, with two wet vassals in a lump at his feet.

Kagura was still in the water.

I took it upon myself to wade into the water after her. The current was strong, but I was more stubborn. It took a little strength, but I managed to get her to the bank. Lord Sesshomaru was the one to drag her onto the stone and lay her out, while I dragged myself out of the water. I ran my fingers through my hair when I was on the bank again, slicking it back out of my face.

"She's..." I felt sick as I reached out to touch the edge of the hole in the woman's chest. The hole was huge, eating up the edges of the scar that spanned most of her back. I could see the torn cross sections of her lungs. My stomach rolled again and this time I gave into temptation, leaning to the side and emptying my stomach onto the stone.

"H-her wound..."

"It's closing up!"

The two-part exclamation drew me from dry-heaving into the puddle of spew at my side. It was the soft groan that had my eyes turning to the cadaver. The cadaver that wasn't a cadaver. Kagura was struggling to sit up, the hole in her chest gone. Her skin was as smooth as if she hadn't just had a hole in it just a few seconds ago.

"You shouldn't move around so much," I insisted. Nauseous to worried in nought point two seconds.

I reached out to steady her and she jerked back, glaring at me. "You...!"

"Really, you shouldn't move around too much." I wasn't the authority on demon first aid, but logic said that you shouldn't be moving around too much when you just healed a massive hole in your chest, and a good portion of your organs with it. She should at least rest for a few hours, though my mind told me that it was a little ridiculous; she had healed a hole in her chest probably almost a foot wide in a matter of seconds. If she could do that, it wasn't much of a stretch to believe that she could get up from that just fine a few moments later.

She regarded me with narrowed red eyes, before letting them sweep over the area. She stopped when her eyes settled something. Following her gaze revealed that she was staring at Lord Sesshomaru, who had gone to sit (and possibly sulk) on a large rock a few yards away.

"Lady Mio and Lord Sesshomaru rescued you," Rin's voice chirped.

Master Jaken's much less cheerful voice cut in a moment later. "You ought to be grateful."

Her reaction was a snide huff as she looked back at our Lord over her shoulder. "Never thought you were the merciful type."

That comment bought a whole plethora of reactions. Master Jaken squawked loudly. I made my own protests about how out of order that comment had been, and Lord Sesshomaru rose from his perch and called the three of us vassals to order, all without even glancing at Kagura.

And like a domino effect, Lord Sesshomaru's reaction drew another, stronger reaction from Kagura. She sat bolt upright and snarled, really _snarled, _at him. "Hold it! You're not going to ask me what happened?!"

Is that why she was asking so hostile? She was hurt that he hadn't reacted to her being hurt?

Our Lord's blasé response of "I have no interest in your life story" drew another, more harsh, reaction from Kagura. She whirled around, knocking me aside. "What if I told you that I found Naraku's heart?!"

I rubbed at the arm that Kagura had pushed me away by. A demon's unconscious strength was much more than a humans. A human pushing me away that fiercely would hurt. I wouldn't be surprised if a bruise would be forming right now.

Rin reached out to grasp the sleeve of my kosode. Her wide brown eyes looked up at me worriedly. I mouthed that I was fine. It hurt, but certainly not enough to worry Rin over. I wasn't really worried over it myself. At worse I'd be a little stiff and sore for a few days. It certainly wasn't the worst thing I had suffered recently.

"I saw it just before I got stabbed," Kagura murmured, her eyes unfocussed in memory as she recounted her tale, and her thoughts on Naraku's heart.

"Just a moment, Kagura..." Master Jaken spoke up. "Wouldn't that make Goryomaru one of Naraku's minions? But... so are _you! _Why didn't you know about him?!"

Kagura just glared for a moment before her jaw set again. "Because Naraku doesn't trust me. Especially if it has anything to do with his heart."

That I could see. Kagura was trying hard to escape Naraku. Even if he didn't know that she was trying, there would still be that distance that Kagura would purposefully put between them that would make Naraku less inclined to trust her. And no one person entrusted everything they knew to another. It was very common. No one worked knew everything about an operation. The less people knew, the less they could use, if they defected like Kagura had, or if they were captured and tortured for information. It was a rule of war: you didn't let one minion know too much important information because it could be your downfall.

"Which means that it's pointless for you to proceed any further."

All eyes turned to Lord Sesshomaru.

"If your tale is true, Naraku now knows you are after his heart."

The silence that swathed us was thick. No one dared make a peep as we waited for Kagura's response.

What happened wasn't what I was expecting. She stood and thanked us in a quiet, tight voice. "I'll be heading out now."

"No." I grabbed her wrist. "Kagura, you don't have to fight this battle alone."

Our eyes met, hers narrowed with hostility. I kept mine steady on her. I couldn't let her think that she had to do this alone. I wanted her to know that she had a support system, and now was the critical time for that. She needed one now, now that Naraku knew she had betrayed him. Her eyes softened a little and her painted lips parted slightly. "This battle is mine," she insisted, though the fierceness in her voice had wilted considerably.

With just a few more words, maybe I could get her to stay with us.

"Don't you want Lord Sesshomaru to rescue you?"

I was sure Rin had tried to help with asking that question, but it just made Kagura tense again. She turned away from us, snatching her wrist from my grasp. "Hardly!" Her fierceness wilted again. "I just..."

Her eyes found mine again, lost and scared, before a strong gust blew past us.

"No!" I reached out for the woman as her feather took her away. "Kagura!"

She was gone.

"Oh, Kagura..."

I stared after her sadly.

"Come." My gzae turned back to Lord Sesshomaru, who was staring at me steadily. "We've to get to Goryomaru's temple."

* * *

**Information Time**

**Ho - **I changed this greeting. The manga actually says she greeted them with 'hey' but the ho that I have been using (and the manga used at one point) fits with the consistency that I've been developing. Ho as a greeting is Kagura's thing now.

**Don't you want Lord Sesshomaru to rescue you? - **I rephrased Rin's quote here to fit better with the flow of the conversation.

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**Review Corner**

No reviews this chapter.

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**I enjoyed doing this chapter. It's leading up into pretty awesome ground. We've now finished what I consider part one of the series, though the manga isn't split like the anime is. We're leaving behind all that lovely character-building filler plot from the firt anime. Now we're going to have to rely on my imagination for character-building filler. Kinda scary! Let's hope my brain will withstand the demand.**

**Next chapter will be the fourth and final film, then we move into the bit that I'm most excited about. The part of the fic that entwines well with the prologue chapter. The fortune teller's babbling will start to make sense! That does also mean that this fic is on its downward slope now. We're officially over half way through this fic. Now I have the first part of the series out of the way, I can guesstimate how long its going to be. I plan to get this fic finished between thirty five and forty chapters. If I can get this right, there'll be between ten and fifteen chapters left in this fic. Now that is a scary thought.**

**I do like the mild distaste Kagura has going on for Mio. Its almost playful, and writing it is incredibly fun.**


	25. Scroll Twenty Four

**Welcome back guys! Thanks to everyone that read the last chapter. Always much appreciated.**

**I'm a day late, again. I'm sorry. Do you guys mind me being a day late?**

**You know the drill about taking dialogue from episodes and films by now, right? This time we're on Fire on the Mystic Island.**

**Onwards!**

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**Kagome Kagome**

Scroll Twenty Four

* * *

Lord Sesshomaru moved us across the land with purpose again.

I could taste the change in the air as we travelled. The crisp air of the open fields and sparse forests that we travelled in had been replaced with the sharp salty tang of sea air. We were close to the coast. I found myself growing excited. I hadn't been to the beach since I was Rin's age. Maybe spending some time playing around on the beach would do us all some good.

I could teach Rin how to build sand castles.

There were two of our little group that didn't seem pleased about the idea of going to the beach. The more salty the air got, the more sluggishly A-Un was crawling across the ground. I had been coaxing them along with gentle words and some petting, but it was clear that they couldn't take much more. I wondered if it was a dragon thing, or whether the two of them just couldn't tolerate the salt air. Dragons had to have small differences from one of the species to another, right? I hadn't seen a species before that didn't.

Getting sick in salt air wasn't unheard of, anyway. My father had been very sick on our last trip to the beach. He'd spend the majority of the long weekend we had spent there with his head in a bucket, or locked away in our hotel room trying to get away from the beach.

"Lord Sesshomaru," I called, stopping his, and by default everyone else's, stride and turning to reguard me with an arched brow. "A-Un's getting sick. I don't think they should carry on much further."

He tilted his head slightly then turned completely and strolled towards the three of us. Master Jaken and Rin scrambled out of his way. I smiled when he stopped in front of A-Un and raised his arm to pat Un's cheek. "The mountain caves on the other side of this bay. Wait there. We will retreive you when we have passed through." His eyes turned down to me. "Pack necessities for a few days travel on foot. A-Un will take the rest with them."

My head bobbed. "Yes, my Lord." I busied myself with going through their packs for the perishables Rin and I had collected and our Dochuugi's in case it got cold. It took just a couple of minutes to collect it all together and clip the bamboo containers for our water to my obi.

A-Un both nudged me with their snouts affetcionately, doing the same with Rin when she came up to my side. The two of us said our goodbyes and promised that we'll get back to them soon. Witha small parting word from Master Jane, A-Un took off into the air. weaving a little insteadily at first, but soon flying smoothly back inland.

Rin's warm hand tugged at mine. "Come on, Lady Mio. Lord Sesshomaru's leaving you behind!"

My eyes flickered up to Lord Sesshomaru's back as he walked away and my lips quirked upwards. "All right, let's get going. We should be by the beach soon."

The two of us hurried to catch up to Lord Sesshomaru and Master Jaken.

"We will travel past sundown tonight," Lord Sesshomaru informed up when we were close enough. "We wil make camp when it gets too much for Rin."

That would probably take us close enough to the beach that we could probably spend some time there before we packed up and carried on in the morning. My smile brightened. "Yes, my Lord." I squeezed Rin's hand. "So tell me, Rin, have you heard of sand castles?"

Our chat about sand castles, and other beach fun carried on well into the evening. Master Jaken had a few words to say about how strange and childish it sounded, making shapes out of wet sand. There were some loud 'mumbles' about strange human customs coming from his direction for a while, but that didn't deter me from telling Rin more about the fun that could be had at the beach.

Eventually Master Jaken found himself joining our conversation despite his comments, and the mood of our group couldn't be any higher.

In fact before long Master Jaken was singing. It wasn't something I had known him to do before. Maybe he had spent too much time around me. When I was in a good mood, I hummed a lot, and if I was in a particularly extatic mood, I would add lyrics. Sometimes making up my own words, sometimes singing a song from a film or my favourite artist. It depended on the mood. Rin had taken to singing in much the same way. Now Master Jaken was joining us, logic deigned that it was only a matter of time before Lord Sesshomaru was influenced as well.

A giggle bubbled up at the ridiculousness of the thought.

I was sure there'd be a snowy day in Hell before Lord Sesshomaru would sing.

"Oh! The resounding bell of the Gion Temple!" Master Jaken sang.

The song drew a reminiscent smile from me. It had been a while since I had heard that name. Visiting Yasaka shrine was one of my favourite memories. Two years ago, Saburo and I had taken the time to visit the shrine for New Year. It had been an incredible festival and we'd promised ourselves that we would go back on another new year to enjoy the festivities again.

The smile faded a little, though, when I realised that it had to be very close to New Year now. My time tracking had been sub par at best, but I was sure I had been here for around three months now, which made it December, or maybe very early January. So New Year was either right around the corner, or already gone. I didn't want to believe that it was already gone. The thought of missing that celebration was a sour one.

What would Saburo be doing for New Years? Would he spend it alone? With Yuto and Maria? With... someone else? My mood soured quickly then.

Blessedly, my thoughts were interrupted before they could really begin to haunt me when Master Jaken coughed then cleared his throat loudly. "That salt air irritates my throat," he complained.

Thank you, Master Jaken.

"Lord Sesshomaru," the imp called out. "If we keep going, we'll end up at the sea."

Wasn't that the plan? I had assumed that because we were hedaing full-pelt towards the coast that our intention was to get to the beach, and throughout our entire conversation over the afternoon and evening, he hadn't once made a comment on the fact that we weren't going to the beach as we discussed sand castles and wading through the surf. Usually if he believed that we weren't going to be doing something that Rin and I were talking about, then he would be the first to make a comment.

Master Jaken deflated when Lord Sesshomaru didn't dignify him with a response. "I don't think he heard a word I said." He had heard. Lord Sesshomaru had strong hearing. He'd demonstrated that more than once. There was no way he couldn't have heard that. He just hadn't listened.

Rin jumped to make Master Jaken feel better. "Don't worry, Master Jaken. As long as we follow Lord Sesshomaru, we'll be fine."

She got a squawked yell in return, that I put a stop to quickly with a firm scold of 'Master Jaken.' He huffed loudly and san on his heel, chin in the air, and walked right into Lord Sesshomaru's leg. He jumped back immediately, dropping into a deep bow and begging for forgiveness. "If Rin and Mio hadn't opened their mouths and made such silly commenets, I wouldn't have lost my composure, and-"

"The time has come."

Rin and I shared a curious look at Lord Sesshomaru's comment, and turned our gazes up to follow his. He was stood a little bit in front of Rin and I, further up the small hill we had been scaling. He could see over it, while Rin and I couldn't. I ventured forwards to see what he was looking at, with Rin scampering at my heel to also get a good look.

The view was beautiful. The moon was huge and hung over the bay in such a picturesque scene, I wished I had a camera to capture the scene. In the middle of the bay, through the thick evening fog, I could make out an island. And at the seaside was a small village. I could see villagers filing along the beach, heading towards the tree-covered cliff that our group had been moving towards.

* * *

Lord Sesshomaru had herded us away from the beautiful panoramic of the bay, and carried on leading us towards the cliff. We really would end up on the beach if we carried on travelling like this. Making our way through the trees was an effort for me, trying not to trip and using the trunks and Rin as a crutch.

"Sorry, honey," I apologised, as I stumbled into Rin for the fifth time. By now I would have usually given up, or A-Un would take pity on me, and I would take to riding the dragon's back while we travelled. With A-Un out of the picture, I would just have to suck it up and carry on, no matter how painfully slow my pace got.

Rin just smiled up at me and grasped my hand to steady me as we walked. She paused though, pulling me to a stop. "I smell something. Smoke and meat."

I couldn't smell anything, even as I strained to pick up something. again I was reminded that Rin had spent her life weaving through the forest by the village that we had found her in and she was far more adapted to life out in the open than I was. A little forest child, like Tarzan. My eyes flickered up to Lord Sesshomaru and Master Jaken. Or maybe Mowgli? That suited a little better.

"Maybe people at the village are cooking something," I suggested.

"Or being cooked," Master Jaken tacked on. "Really, can't you smell the difference between animal and human? That's definitely human meat being cooked."

My stomach churned. Both at the thought that humans were being burned alive, and the phrasing Master Jaken had used. Human _meat, _like they were being cooked to eat. I was reminded quite vividly then that, while they cared deeply for us, Lord Sesshomaru and Master Jaken were still demons and demons had their own customs. Among them, eating human meat wasn't a taboo like it was for, well, humans.

Did they eat human _meat_? Master Jaken didn't. I was certain of that. For the past three months, I had been the one to feed him, and human hadn't been on the menu. But Lord Sesshomaru? I had still never seen him eat. He had said that he didn't eat human food when we had first met, but did that mean he ate human instead? I was afraid to ask him and even more afraid to find out the answer.

The screams filtered through the trees then, and I cringed back.

"Keep yourselves protected," Lord Sesshomaru orderd as he strode forwards purposefully. People rushed past him, some sprinting, some limping, some barely even managing that. Some of their clothes were burned, and some had blackened skin and flaming red burns on their skin.

"Rin, stay with Master Jaken," I ordered, limping forwards myself to help a man whose entire left leg was black with burned flesh. I wanted to urge, but I steeled myself against the reaction and slid myself under his arm. "Let me help. I'll get you back to the village."

Rin stuck by my side, whimpering and begging me to stay with the two as I began leading the man in the direction that everyone else was moving.

"Rin." My voice was firm, a change in my usual tone that was so strange that she stopped completely and fell silent, staring up at me with watery eyes. "I'm just helping them. I'll be back, I promise. Stay with Master Jaken."

Her bottom lip poked out and wobbled, but she nodded.

"I'll be back soon." And like the blind leading the blind, I limped after the scared crowd, half-carrying the weight of the injured man who was moaning in pain in my ear. "You'll be back in the village very soon."

"That girl," he managed through the pain. "Is she your daughter?"

Rin. I smiled softly. "Yes." She was. In all the ways that mattered, she had become my daughter over the last three months. I wouldn't call her anything but my daughter if someone asked. I had been raising her,t eaching her, scolding and loving her.

"She's not safe there. The demon!"

"She'll be fine." She was with Master Jaken and Lord Sesshomaru. She would be absolutely fine. I was more worried about myself. My track record with attracting trouble when I wasn't around Master Jaken or Lord Sesshomaru was shaky, at best. I was more likely to get into trouble than Rin was.

I struck up some small talk, trying to keep the man occupied. We shared names. I prattled about Rin, mostly. Little things about her and her personality that made me a proud mother. Iwao returned the conversation with talk of his own daughter, a woman just a year younger than me, who was married and had a young son of five.

It took far longer than I had hoped for the two of us to get to the edges of the village, but when we did, we were greeted by a few uninjured villagers that helped take Iwao's weight from me and carried him at a much quicker pace towards a hut. There were a few whispers between the villagers as I followed them determinedly.

A woman stopped me before I could enter his hut. She was sobbing loudly, and threw her arms around me in a show of affection even I was surprised at. I patted her back gently, not quite sure what else to do in the situation.

"Thank you! Thank you for bringing my father back safe!"

"Yukiko!" A young man gripped her shoulder, pulling her back gently against him. She sobbed into his chest now. "He's safe now. Your father's back with us."

I stood for a moment, not sure what to say. Maybe it was all the time I had spent with my group, but these intense shows of emotion struck me for a loop. With Master Jaken and Lord Sesshomaru, there was very little intense emotion in our day-to-day lives. We got on and just did. Even I had mellowed out some. Rin and I weren't really prone to intense emotional outbursts like this, and we didn't venture close enough to others to see much of it, either.

"I can help the injured." Defer to something I could deal with. "Please, let me help. I need clean water and bandages. I'll try to help as many people as I can."

The young man looked at me steadily for a while before nodding, raising his chin and beating out orders to bring water and bandages to the huts of all the injured people that had been bought back.

So, as people screamed and cried and greived over all that had been lost in the demon attack, I began treating the injured.

* * *

"You bear the mark of the Four War Gods. As long as you do, your fate rests in our hands."

As Kyura and his flames disappeared, Sesshomaru stood taller, shoulders squared and eyes narrowed slightly as he flicked his sword and sheathed it slowly. These _gods _had marked him, drawn him back to this area with the unpleasant compulsion the mark gave him, and now continued to taunt him. He wanted nothing more than to see the back of them.

His vassals called to him, and soon Jaken made his feeble attempts to raise his spirits after the escape of Kyura. "What a shame indeed, my Lord. You only missed him by a few seconds, but he got away!" On and on the imp droned, inserting his foot further and further into his mouth until his prattling became too much for Lord Sesshomaur to even contemplate bearing much more.

A quick glance of his fist off the imp's head helped ease the frustration of Kyura's escape and the annoyance of listening to Jaken insult him.

He was a few long strides away before he realised he had not been scolded for the action. Neither, he realised, had Jaken been hushed before he had made much of a verbal fool of himself. Neither act would usually be allowed to pass like this. Mio had taken it upon herself to save Jaken from speaking himself into a hole, and in the events that she didn't achieve that, Sesshomaru himself never got away without a scolding for lashing out at the imp.

She had neither hushed Jaken or scolded him for lashing out; something neither would ever get away with in her presence.

Sesshomaru turned, eyes sweeping over the area, counting heads. Sans the two heads of A-Un, his pack consisted of three currently. Jaken's head, complete with goose-egg sized knot, was present, and so was the messy waves of Rin's head. But where were the curled brown and black tresses of Mio's head? His eyes narrowed as he swept over the area again. Mio was not to be seen, and a flaring of his nostrils told him that her scent was weak in the area. She wasn't present.

"Rin. Where is Mio at?" He was met with a hesitant silence, and when he turned to see why he hadn't been given an answer immediately, Rin's face was downcast. "Rin?" he prompted again.

"She went to the village, m'Lord," the pup mumbled. She stubbed her toes into the dirt. "She went to help the injured."

A muscle ticked in his jaw, and the frustration he had releived when striking Jaken returned in waves, each bearing down on him stronger than the last.

In the heat of the battle, he hadn't noticed Mio's absence, and now she wasn't here. He couldn't guarantee her safety at present. How could he allow himself to be distracted so wholly by the egocentril _god _that he allowed himself to lose one of his packmates?

His first instinct was to catch her scent and chase her, make certain she was unharmed and keep her from wandering from his pack again, but a deep throbbing came from his back, and he shut his eyes against the compulsion to go to the island in the centre of the bay. The compulsion was strong. It was something that had to be dealt with quickly.

His breath left his nose in a sharp exhale as he began walking again. He was followed immediately by his incomplete pack.

He would deal with this compulsion, then retreive Mio.

As they walked, Jaken spoke, questioning his actions. Would he slay the god that got away from him?

"There's no need," he answered. An act. The compulsion was weak enough that if he had nothing else to concentrate on, he would be able to fight it. He wouldn't be drawn any closer to that island. Yet his mind was focussed on something else. Mio.

His feet took him in the direction of the island.

* * *

Exhausted but too wired to sleep, I sat outside Iwao's hut, with a simple tea cup of water by my hand. I had been cleaning up burn wounds and trying to ease people's worries for hours now. It had to be in the early hours of the morning now, and the night still went on.

I inhaled deeply as I stared up at the large moon.

I would have to leave soon. I didn't know whether Rin and Master Jaken would be in the same place as I had left them. Since Lord Sesshomaru was so close, I was guessing not. Lord Sesshomaru wasn't one to stand around and wait, and it had been hours since I had left. I had no idea where the three of them were. A deep sigh left me.

"They say sighing blows the happiness away."

My eyes turned up to Iwao, who was leaning against the doorway of the hut, also looking up at the moon.

"My daughter says that." Rin said the phrase often when Master Jaken got particularly despondent when Lord Sesshomaru left us alone. "I have to leave. Rin will be waiting for me and I can't keep her waiting much longer."

"It's late. It'll do you no good wandering those forests alone at this time, especially with those demons from that island about. At least wait until its light out."

That wouldn't be long, I guessed, as I eyed the horizon. It was already beginning to brighten a little. I'd say there would only be an hour or two until it was light out. They couldn't have gotten far in just a few hours, could they? Further than I could catch up with, I thought with grim realism. That was if they had moved on in the first place.

"I'll leave in the morning, then."

I'd barely gotten the words out before a muted bang sounded. If I had to liken the sound to anything, I would say it was like listening to the explosion of a single firework. Though it didn't stay single for long. More bangs sounded off, and lights on the misty island in the middle of the bay caught my attention. "What's going on there?" I wondered.

A part of me also wondered whether Lord Sesshomaru was part of that spectacle.

The explosions died down within minutes of them starting, and the silence bought with it questions that burned at my curiosity. Iwao left to sleep when it had all gone quiet, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

* * *

It wasn't until just after sunrise that I got any answers to my questions. Those answers came in the most surprising way.

Miroku and Sango staggered into my line of sight, carrying between them an unconscious InuYasha. Behind them a familiar green school uniform fluttered as Kagome rushed forwards to meet me. We met each other with bright smiles, if a little weary from lack of sleep on both parts, and the quickest of hugs before I slid into first-aider mode for the second time in as many days, firing off questions to the group as I reached the unconscious demon.

A little crowd of demon children were hovering behind the familiar group of Camp InuYasha. I chose to care for InuYasha over questioning them about the children they seem to have temporarily adopted. Those sorts of questions could come later.

The commotion woke part of the sleeping village. Iwao's daughter was the first to offer their hut to us. Between the group, we got InuYasha into a hut and laid out on a beaten up old futon. Between Miroku, Sango and Kagome, I was caught up on the latest battle and how InuYasha was left in this state. Exhaustion, I diagnosed with an uncertain hesitation. I couldn't be sure, but it sounded like it wasn't much more than extreme exhaustion.

"I think you court battling," I breathed as I sat back on my heels, watching InuYasha for a moment. He didn't even twitch.

"It isn't a courtship we view favourably, Lady Mio," was Miroku's quiet, dry reply. My lips twitched up in amusement. No, I should think not. Very few people really wanted to live a life of serious battling ike these people seemed to.

I would never last in such a conflict-filled life. My own was almost too much for me.

"He should be better after sleep and rest. There didn't seem to be much wrong beyond that, from what I can see. There isn't a lot else that can be done until he wakes up." I pursed my lips, debating whether I should stay to make sure InuYasha was okay. Besides the tricks that you picked up from years of practise, I probably knew more technical information about medicine than the village doctor, between my training and what I had picked up from Saburo. It didn't take long to come to a decision. "The village doctor should be able to check him over more thoroughly between caring for the villagers."

I pushed myself upwards, and was helped by Sango before I could even think about struggling through the action. I muttered a thanks and stretched out. The movements were stiff and slow. I was exhausted.

"You're leaving?" Kagome asked.

Sango was the one to ask the anticipated question about whether I was going back to Lord Sesshomaru. It was common knowledge that I was Lord Sesshomaru's ward. I was surprised they'd waited until now to ask about why I wasn't with said demon and the rest of his followers.

"I was separated from him last night. I have to get back." I wanted to get back to Rin and Master Jaken. I always felt better with the two of them bickering around me. The lack of little arguments in the past few hours had been unsettling.

"Mio?" I tilted my head towards the speaker and smiled at Iwao's daughter. She stood besides her husband, holding out something wrapped in leaves. "Please, take these with you while you travel. We wish we could give you more for helping my father, but..."

I couldn't help but smile as I accepted the leave-wrapped package. A peek told me that the package was three neatly made onigiri. My mouth watered. Rice. I hadn't had rice in too long. "Thank you. This is wonderful, really." It was rice! It was perfect. I bowed to them and thanked them again before saying goodbye to Camp InuYasha, giving them a few basic orders to look after InuYasha before I left the hut.

My stride was purposeful as I left the village, but slowed as I neared the forest fringes. I knew there were mountains beyond this forest. Lord Sesshomaru was meeting A-Un there in a couple days. But would I reach them in time?

I didn't have to ponder that thought for long. A flash of white flickered behind a tree, then Lord Sesshomaru came into view.

A smile so wide it was almost painful spread on my face as my feet picked up, carrying me fast towards the demon.

He had waited for me!

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**Information Time!**

**Gion temple** \- The Gion Shrine was built in 656AD, in Gion, a district of Kyoto. Numerous festivals are held there. One of the biggest is the New Year event. It was renamed Yasaka in 1868, thus Mio calling it by a different name than Jaken. And Mio is a serial shrine-visitor (see back in Scroll One) so of course she's been to such an incredible shrine, and knows the history of it.

**Thermal burns - **First off! Don't treat any injury unless you are trained to do so! Okay, now, thermal burns are any burns that are created by an external heat source, like say, a demonic bird made out of fire summoned by a demon weilding a giant war fan, just to give an example. They should be treated with room temperature water until the pain dulls, then wrapped in sterile bandages.

**Futon** \- A quilted mattress usually laid out on the ground, with a duvet over the top of it. Around this period in history, commoners generally used haori or their kimonos to cover themselves rather than a duvet.

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**Review Corner!**

Another chapter with no reviews. I would really appreciate hearing from you guys more. I love you guys telling me what you think of the story, and I love chatting with you, as well.

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**Considering I really dislike writing from animated media, and I did everything here to get away from constantly writing from animated media, by having Mio take that little trip into the village, I enjoyed writing this chapter a lot. The past couple chapters I've not been particularly happy with writing. It had been a bit of a chore, but I set that aside this chapter and loved it. I certainly feel like the flow of the chapter is much more fluid than the past couple chapters I've written. That might be down to the sheer amount of original content in this chapter. I love adding original content to my chapters, and I went wild here.**

**I really enjoyed writing Sesshomaru a little more chatty, but still succinct. Its fun writing him interact with the group as a whole. And giving him that moment with A-Un had me grinning like a loon all through writing it. I still hold to the idea that Sesshomaru is quite an animal person.**

**And we have more of Sesshomaru's point of view. I have fallen in love with writing Sesshomaru's point of view and its been too long since the last POV change in the story. Adding the little snippits of Sesshomaru's development alongside Mio's own development is nice. It shows that Mio isn't the only one growing as a character in this story.**

**THERE MIGHT NOT BE A CHAPTER NEXT WEEK! I'm going on holiday this weekend and I'm not sure I can manage to get a chapter written, edited and ready to post in the next few days. I will try, but there are no promises.**


	26. Scroll Twenty Five

**I am so sorry that its been so long.**

**Life just seemed to take over and between my art and starting up a YouTube channel and flitting between jobs, I've had so little free time that I just havent wanted to write anything.**

**But, I started rereading InuYasha again and the desire to come back to this came at me full force, so instead of filming a video for my channel, I'm writing.**

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**Kagome Kagome**

**Scroll 25  
**

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Damp leaves squished under my feet as I limped through the forest. The near-silence of the forest was almost unnerving. I was used to some kind of noise at all times. Master Jaken or Rin chatting, A-Un's quiet noises or deep breathing.

It had been a long time since I had been alone, though. I just wasn't used to not hearing the noises of my companions.

I didn't like it. I wanted to be surrounded by the familiar comforting noises again. So I pushed myself forwards,searching for anything familiar.

A quiet swish-thud drew my attention. That noise was definitely man-made. My feet began in that direction, hoping that the noise was made by one of my companions.

_Anything familiar _came when I found what had made the noise, but it wasn't what I was expecting.

"Kagura...!" The exclamation came before I could stop it.

The woman raised her head, drawing her attention from the fan in her hand that she was flicking open and closed, the source of the swish-thud noise I had followed. Crimson eyes turning languidly to me, wrist still jerking, gracefully opening and closing her fan. "_Mio,_" she responded in a drawl. The usual sultry tone that she used in our presence (when not lashing out) was gone. There was a kind of dull sense of resign in her tone and body language, like she knew the end was near and she was just boredly tolerating life while it was still a burden to her. It broke my heart.

I took a few step forwards, then folded myself on the ground, leaning against the fallen moss-covered tree that Kagura was lounging on, facing away from her. I gazed up into the green canopy. "How are you?"

"What are you doing here all alone? You're not usually far from your master's tail." Snide was an emotion, at least. More than the dull look she'd given me a moment ago.

"I was separated from them." Lord Sesshomaru and Master Jaken had left early in the morning. Rin and I had taken A-Un deeper into the forest to try and get some good foraging in. The two of us hadn't been foraging for long before we'd been separated. I'd been trying to find them when I stumbled upon Kagura.

"And you're not fretting over getting back to your precious little girl?"

My lips twitched downwards. "Of course I am." That went without saying. I'd been searching desperately for then just a few moments ago. I hated being away from Rin. But I knew she was safe. She had been with A-Un, and the dragon was as protective of her as the rest of us. A-Un wouldn't let anything happen to her. She was safe. I just had to worry about finding my own way back to them. But that could come later. I had been worrying about her since I had failed to convince her to stay with us. I hadn't thought I'd have the chance to talk to her again, with Naraku knowing that she was against him. I wasn't going to let this opportunity to speak to her, to try and convince her to stay with us while Lord Sesshomaru hunted Naraku, slip by me. "How are you?" I repeated, tipping my head so my eyes could settle on her.

Her painted lips puckered into a frown, but she stayed stubbornly silent.

"He's trying, you know?"

A long silence passed us by.

"He's out daily looking for Naraku. He won't stop." That was the way Lord Sesshomaru was. He'd been searching tirelessly for Naraku since I'd met him. That wasn't going to change. "I don't condone death unless it's a necessity, but Sesshomaru won't dtop until Naraku is dead." I was too soft-hearted for that. I had come to terms that death was a part of this world, and even accepted that Lord Sesshomaru and Master Jaken did in fact kill, but I still hated to see it. Naraku was a topic that loomed over us like an elephant that we rarely discussed. Lord Sesshomaru was going to kill Naraku. He was too focused to drop that goal.

More stubborn silence.

"Please hang in there, Kagura. He'll do it. He _will_. You need to fight long enough to see it." She was resigned, despondent. Experience told me that not a lot of people survived that sort of mindset. I didn't want Kagura to give into that.

There was a flash of her butterfly-emblazoned kimono in the corner of my eye, and in a moment she was stood above me, glaring down at me. "_Why_ do you care? Why do you care if I fight or give into my fate?"

I flinched, but didn't dare drop my gaze. "Because everyone deserves a chance to be free, and you've fought so hard for yours that you can't just give up like this. You're a strong woman, Kagura. One of the strongest I've ever met." I pushed myself to my feet and stood toe-to-toe with the woman. She was inches taller than me, but that didn't dampen me. "You are so strong, Kagura, and you need to use that strength and fight."

"_What _do you know of my situation?" she barked back.

"What do I know of being held captive, and beaten and threatened by a man?" A wan smile curled my lips. I had no doubt the expression wasn't a happy one. "Maybe there's something deeper to your situation with Naraku, but I know plenty of being abused by a man, and I know that there is an escape." I hadn't fought for my escape. The escape had been handed to me. I'd fallen into a new time and adjusted. But I was a new me. I wasn't defined by Saburo's violence. I wasn't the person that sat submissively and took those beatings any more. I had gone through that situation, and I had come out a new, stronger me for it. And Kagura could do the same.

"You're just a human. Your insignificant views mean nothing to me," she lashed out with a snarl.

And if she believed that, she wouldn't have said it. I wasn't backing down. I just needed to get her to stop backing down. "_Fight_, Kagura. He will save you, but you need to be alive for him to save." She needed to help herself before we could help her.

Her eyes narrowed, then she huffed, turning her back on me. "Keep up."

Kagura walked at a brisk pace, and I struggled to keep up with her as she strode through the forest. I tried to draw her attention, to speak to her more than once, but she ignored every word and carried on through the trees.

Eventually she stopped. "Go. Your master awaits."

Just beyond the line of trees was a small clearing, that I could see Lord Sesshomaru and A-Un in. I could hear Master Jaken squawking a moment later, scolding Rin. "You-" She had led me back to the group. I don't know where I expected her to lead me, but here wasn't it. Either I had pissed her off so much that she wanted me gone, or I had reached her.

"Sesshomaru won't be inclined to help me if I allow his human pet to die alone in the forest," was her simple explanation.

I smiled brightly. If she wanted Lord Sesshomaru to help her then she had chosen to fight. I had gotten through to her. "Thank you." I began forwards.

I had just broken the tree line when Kagura called out my name. I turned back to her. "If you dare stand up to me again, Mio, then you won't survive it." Her red eyes cut me, then she let out a small smirk and turned, lifting her hand in a small wave over her shoulder as she disappeared back into the forest.

My cheeks hurt with the size of my smile as I carried on towards our group.

"Mio! What are you playing at, wandering through the forest alone, stupid girl!"

* * *

"Master Jaken, the crystal..." I had held onto the crystal that Kagura had given us, kept into my obi alongside a few other small trinkets, and for as long as I had kept it it had always been the same, glowing a faint green. But today, while changing back into my kimono after a quick bath in a river, I'd noticed something different.

"What about it, Mio?"

I held it out to him. "Look, it's... It's paler." It looked like the colour had faded from it, like something had leeched the green from it. Wasn't that what Kagura said would happen if we got close to Naraku's heart? That the crystal would lose it's energy?

"What?!" Master Jaken jumped up, snatching the crystal from my hand. After he confirmed that the colour in the crystal was indeed fading and I wasn't lying to him, he jumped up, and pelted towards Lord Sesshomaru, who had been sat in the shade of a tree, with Rin sat at his feet, chatting at him. While I had searched for Master Jaken, Rin had decided to keep Lord Sesshomaru company.

It was heartwarming, seeing the two sat together like that. They looked like a family. It was beautiful.

Though the beauty of the moment was lost when Lord Sesshomaru drew himself to his feet, and ordered us back to the road.

Natural, we jumped up, and with efficiency built of many months of practise, the six of us were back on the road in minutes. Rin and I had been ordered up onto A-Un, so even the travelling was quick and efficient.

* * *

I had taken to humming a quiet tune as I weaved my fingers through Rin's hair, gently trying to comb out the knots while she was stuck with me and couldn't wriggle away.

_I wonder, I wonder_  
_I wonder why each little bird has a someone_  
_To sing to, sweet things to_  
_A gay little love melody_

I sang gently into Rin's ear as my fingers teased through her hair.

"What a load of racket," Master Jaken complained.

Rin jumped to my defence immediately. "I think it's _wonderful, _Lady Mio. Is there any more?"

I smiled, holding her a little closer.

_I wonder, I wonder,  
__I wonder if my heart keeps singing  
Will my song go winging  
To someone, who'll find me  
And bring back a love song to me._

I pressed a kiss to the side of her head when I finished, and Rin gave a happy little sigh. "That was so romantic."

"It is, a little bit, isn't it?" I agreed. That was the magic of Disney. It was all so romantic and beautiful.

"Do you think someone will bring me a love song, Lady Mio?"

I laughed. "A sweet little thing like you? I'm sure you'll have many boys singing their love songs to you." I nuzzled into her hair with a little smile. "Maybe a nice farm hand, or a healer's apprentice." Those were typical jobs in this period. it was likely that if Rin were to marry someone, then that would be a fair choice.

Master Jaken had something to say about that. "An apprentice? For as long as my eyes are black, I won't let a lowly apprentice near Rin." He stuck his beak in the air, huffing haughtily. "With her connection to Lord Sesshomaru, Lords from around the country will be after her hand."

A lord. Well, that was quite a step up from farm hand. It would be a good life for her, if she could marry a wealthy lord. But wealth wasn't important. If she fell in love with a farm hand, then I would rather her pick him than a lord.

The conversation took on its usual mindless chatter after that, and soon petered out completely, and we were back to our comfortable travelling, while I played with Rin's hair. And that continued on for hours.

And it carried on until Lord Sesshomaru paused in his sure stride, and turned to gaze over his shoulder. Master Jaken and A-Un paused in their own stride, and we all followed Lord Sesshomaru's gaze to see what he was looking at, if he was looking at anything at all. Nothing, from what I could see, but there was a chance it was something beyond my own abilities to see.

Though I began to believe that it was something completely different when even Master Jaken couldn't see anything. "Something troubling you, Lord Sesshomaru?"

Our Lord ignored Master Jaken as he twisted around to face us. "Mio, you're to come with me."

What?

* * *

**Information time!**

**I Wonder - **A song from Disney's Sleeping Beauty. We've already established that Mio is a lover of Disney, and she would occasionally burst into song. This won't be the last song that she sings in this fic.

* * *

**Review Corner!**

**Tikikiki - **Fear not! The prophecy will be expanded upon pretty soon actually. What I considered the second half of the manga series is where the prophecy really gets explored. And, just as exciting, Mio and Sesshomaru's relationship will be explored much further soon.

**Soldier of Passion - **Haha, yeah this is a real slow burn romance. But some good stuff is coming, I promise. Try to be patient with me!

* * *

**It's good to get back into writing again!**

**I had always planned to have some original Kagura and Mio moments in this fic. Initially I'd planned for them to be much sooner than they are, but I like how it flowed to this point. Aaaand Kagura's death is coming up very soon and I sort of have to fit it in very soon. But lets not dwell on such sad things. I'd always intended for Mio and Kagura to develop a tentative sort of friendship. I think that if they were in any other world, they'd be fast friends. The sort of opposites that attract and stick together. Could you imagine a modern Kagura chilling with Mio in a coffee shop, slating everyone around her and being scolded by Mio? I definitely could.**

**Mio officially acknowledging her abuse. Coming from someone that has been abused in the past, it's a very difficult thing for a victim of abuse who has relied on the abuser, like I have, and like Mio did with Saburo, to admit that there was a serious issue, and that it's okay to feel better without their abuser. That there is a life where you can be happy and strong. This is the biggest development of Mio's character in this story. She's survived an abusive relationship and this story so far has been her healing process.**

**And we're leaving off on a cliffhanger. Incentive to stick around, even if I'm a bit slow with writing chapters.**

**I can't promise a regular schedule again. I'm sorry, but I just don't know how much free time I'm going to have to be able to sit and write like this. But I will finish this fic. Even if it takes me years, I WILL finish this fic. I've put too much time and planning into it to abandon it completely. Just try to be patient with me, please.**


	27. Scroll Twenty Six

**And I return, pretty quickly at that!**

**I had so much fun slacking off my other work and writing the last chapter that I thought I'd give it another shot. If I enjoy it as much this time (almost guaranteed) I'm going to make the time to write chapters frequently and set up a schedule again. **

**So, I was rude last week. I'm gonna make a point not to be this week. Thank you everyone that has taken the time to read this fic, and a special thank you to those that added this fic to their likes and alerts. It means a lot to me!**

**Onwards!**

* * *

**Kagome Kagome**

Scroll 26

* * *

"What?"

It took a long moment for my mind to catch up to the situation. The sharp, impatient glance that Lord Sesshomaru sent my way prompted me to slide of A-Un's back and make my way to him.

Lord Sesshomaru had never been explicit with choosing me to join him on his wanderings away from the group before. It had happened once, yes, with awkward consequences that we were really just starting to get over, but he'd woken me in the early morning before the others had woken. We'd slipped off. This was very different.

His arm came around my waist when I was close enough, and he held me tight to his body, and to the particularly nasty spike on his armour in the same way that he had the few times before that he had flown with me, and he kicked off the ground without a further word.

Like this, half-buried in the fur of his tail, and held tight against his armour, I couldn't manoeuvre myself to be able to see the group we were leaving behind, and so close to his ear, I didn't dare call back to them, so I just held to his armour, and ducked my face against the warm fur of his tail, trying to find a position in which the wind didn't beat against my ears so loudly as we moved.

"Where are we going, my Lord?" I didn't pitch the question much higher than a whisper as I looked up at him. Predictably, I got no answer. Nor did I get any indication that he had heard my question. I didn't ask again, but my gaze stayed on his face.

His proud chin was upturned, and his hair was blowing back, giving me a full view of his strong jawline and all the colourful markings on his skin. His jawline was sharper than I recalled from our first meeting. In the months that we'd been together, he'd grown, aged into a man. I'd hardly noticed, seeing him every day as I did. But now, under such close scrutiny, I could hardly see the roundness to his jaw that he'd toted under our first meeting. I remembered thinking that this boy hadn't suffered any of the gangly awkwardness of growing from a teen into a man that many boys suffered, and now he really looked nothing short of a man before me, that thought was cemented. There had been nothing awkward about his growth. He'd aged elegantly.

His intense golden eyes dipped down, skating over my face for a second before focusing straight ahead. A moment later we began to descend.

I still couldn't see beyond his chest or jaw, bar a small sliver of the sunny blue sky around him, so I had no idea where we were going. But, it wasn't like my knowledge of the terrain of this place was any good, either. I probably wouldn't know where we were even if I were to be given a detailed map. We could be flying right above where my apartment would be built in five hundred years, and I would have no idea.

When we touched the ground, I was assaulted by the intense smell of flowers. We'd landed in a meadow of wildflowers.

A sour note reached my nose, and it wrinkled as I looked around for the source of the smell.

Horror filled me when I found it.

"Kagura..."

She was knelt, hunched over, secreting a purple-tinged haze from her body. She looked terrible. She was covered in blood, her clothes torn, and her face was contorted in pain and fear.

Tears welled in my eyes and my feet shuffled through the cool flowers. One step. Two step. I broke into a jog, then a flat out sprint as I approached her. "Kagura!" The scream tore from my throat at the same time the tears began to fall.

"Mio..." Her deep red eyes were wide, shocked as I dropped down heavily to my knees in front of her. My hands clapped to her shoulders.

"Kagura, oh God, Kagura." Years of training, of first aid and injuries flew from my head in my blind panic. "Kagura, you're-"

"How did you..." Her voice was weak, and her shoulders gave tiny twitches. Her eyes were beginning to glaze over.

Fear buried a deep, cold hole in my chest. "No! No, you have to fight." I swallowed and tried to calm my frantic breathing. Come on, think!

Check the wounds, see the extent of the damage. Vaguely I heard the clanking of armour. Lord Sesshomaru was approaching us. My mind was too preoccupied with trying to paw through the layers of her clothes and reveal the still heavily bleeding wounds.

"Mio, stop." I didn't. I couldn't. "Stop. It's okay." She was happy.

She slumped forwards, and her temple pressed to mine. My shaking hands stopped. "I'm free."

"No." My own voice was shaking with the force of my sobs. "No, no. It wasn't supposed to happen like this." My arms wrapped around her. I could feel the stinging heat of the mist from her back prickling through the sleeve of my kosode. It was eating her alive, like acid.

She was supposed to be alive. She was supposed to enjoy her freedom. Not suffer like this.

Another sob tore from me.

The clanking stopped and I felt the heat of Lord Sesshomaru against my back. He must have been stood just inches from me. "I was following the scent of Naraku's miasma." His voice was low and steady, not nearly as emotional as mine or Kagura's were.

"Disappointed?" she breathed. I could feel her cool breath against my neck. "That it was...just me?"

"I knew it was you."

A breath escaped her, I couldn't tell whether it was a weak laugh or something else. "You knew..." She paused for a long moment. "Of course. You wouldn't-" Her temple pressed firmly to mine for a moment before easing up. Her breathing was laboured now. I could hear the cracking in it, like a wet wheeze.

"Is this it then?" Sesshomaru asked, and I gave a sob. No, no it couldn't be.

"Yes, but... it's all right. Mio, thank you. It's all right."

She pulled back and with a sniffle I loosened my arms, letting her pull back.

In her half-conscious state, weaving unsteadily, she smiled at me. Then she fell backwards, eyes falling closed. As she did, the miasma that she had been excreting enveloped her, eating her alive.

I sobbed, reaching out to what was left of her body, as a gust of wind swept away the last of the mist, dissipating it and stirring up hundreds of loose petals.

One petal brushed along my cheek, and tangled in my hair. Like a sort of caress. My lips pulled into a little smile as I sniffled, trying to stifle the last of my tears.

"Mio." Lord Sesshomaru's hot hand found my shoulder, fingers curling in the cloth and tugging upwards gently. I nodded shakily and, wiping my cheeks with the top of my sleeve, I struggled to my feet. My sleeves... They were missing little patches, with the edges of the crisp and black, like they'd been burned.

When I was hugging Kagura... _That _had been inside her, doing the same to her innards.

I sobbed again, tears renewed.

Oh Kagura...

His hand found my back and gently guided me forwards.

We were halted by a yell of Lord Sesshomaru's name, and we both turned. InuYasha and his group were stood at the edge of the meadow.

"Tell me..." InuYasha's face was tense, drawn with emotion that he was trying to hide. "Did she suffer?"

I shook my head.

No. In the end, she didn't suffer. She was free. She had the one thing that she'd dreamed of, and she had people to share it with in the last moments.

"She was smiling," Sesshomaru told them, as he ushered me forwards again.

* * *

I sat on the bank of the river, staring down into the flowing water.

Lord Sesshomaru had been merciful. Instead of leading me back towards where our group waited for us, he had led me through the forested area at the edge of the meadow, and to a small river.

I had been sat here for a while now, with Lord Sesshomaru stood somewhere in the vicinity behind he silently. My tears had stopped flowing, but I couldn't bring myself to do much just yet.

"Why?" My voice sounded a lot more steady than I felt.

I let my toes slip from the bank, and into the stream.

A moments silence followed. "So you could say goodbye."

"Heh..." He'd let me say goodbye. Despite all his posturing, and the lack of any form of emotional connection he seemed to show to anyone, he'd known that I needed to say goodbye to the woman that I had become friends with, in her final moments. Maybe he wasn't so far beyond gone as I had thought he was. "Thank you, Sesshomaru. Thank you."

What he had done there meant more to me than I could possibly begin to express in words.

* * *

Our return to the group later that evening was met with a lot of fussing.

I looked a state. I was covered in blood, had tattered burned and stained clothes and clearly had been crying. Master Jaken and Rin almost pounced on me, firing off their worried questions one after the other without even taking so much as a breath as pause.

I gave a shaky smile and began to try to console them.

"Jaken, Rin, give her space," Lord Sesshomaru ordered as he passed us, to take his spot in camp. He chose to sit leaning against A-Un. A rested his head in the demon's lap immediately, and I watched the scene with rapt interest as Rin and Master Jaken both backed down immediately.

Lord Sesshomaru rarely sat with A-Un. I had seen him care for them numerous times. He tacked and untacked them often, and would pet them fairly frequently, but I'd never seen him sit like that with them. It was almost like he was seeking comfort. Kagura hadn't meant so little to him as he portrayed. Even he needed comfort when things got too tough for him.

I stepped forwards, and took a the spot between A and Un's heads. Un brushed his large head against my cheek and I smiled, stroking him gently. A-Un were great healers. They had so much love to give. This wasn't the first time I had come to them for support and comfort. And, when Rin came to sit in my lap and hug me, I couldn't have thought of a better place to be if I tried. _This _was exactly what I needed after what had happened this afternoon.

"Kagura is gone," I murmured, burying my face into her hair. "She's gone now, but she was free for a little while."

* * *

Things started to pick up after a few days. We continued travelling on and, while I was being treated rather delicately, I didn't fold or stop pulling my weight in camp.

By the time a week passed, I was feeling much more myself, though every time I saw a yellow flower like the ones that surrounded us in the meadow, or saw a feather, there was a moments pause, where the sadness filled me. It would be like that for many years. Still now I had that feeling for people that I had lost many years ago.

"It'll get easier," I assured myself with a little smile as I stroked the petals of a yellow wildflower that Rin had picked for me.

It would get easier, and I would live on with her memories, good and bad, and smile because I had gotten the chance to be friends with her, if only for a short while.

"Come on, Rin," I called out to the girl picking flowers by the roadside. "We're lagging behind."

"Kay!" Rin jumped up and began running back towards A-Un and Master Jaken, who were travelling up a good few yards in front of us. In front of them, Lord Sesshomaru lead the way.

I smiled as I watched her run, holding tightly to her flowers. I wonder who she would be gifting those to this time.

"Lady Mio, youre falling behind!"

"I'm coming, Rin!" I called out as I followed behind her, at a much slower pace. I just didn't know how Rin could zip about everywhere the way she did. I was sure even the children that I used to babysit when I was a teenager never had this amount of energy.

Rin's expression morphed, from a bright smile to horror. "Lady Mio!"

It was like slow motion, seeing that expression change, then feeling a prickle in my senses.

Then I heard heavy breathing of something behind me.

"Mio! Get out of the way!" Master Jaken yelled, waving his staff around as he sprinted towards me.

I shifted to move to my left, to move out of the way of Master Jaken's line of fire, but a sharp pain ran through my leg, and I couldn't move it. I couldn't lift it from the ground, or drag it along the dirt or move at all. I was paralysed.

A scream sounded large claws closed around my body.

I wasn't captured for every long. A green light flashed before my eyes, and the claw dropped me. Lord Sesshomaru's hand snapped forwards, nails glowing green, as a whip in the same glowing green said through the air, slicing through whatever was behind me.

Everything fell quiet besides my heavy breathing.

"Lady Mio!" Rin ran forwards to meet me. "Lady Mio, are you all right?"

"Y-yeah. I'm fine, Rin. Lord Sesshomaru got to me just in time." Lord Sesshomaru had saved me. My hand moved to my leg, and slowly, hesitantly, I tried to stretch it out. It moved slowly. My brows drew together. I could move again. It wasn't paralysed.

What was that...?

"It's part of Naraku, M'Lord. That stench is unforgettable."

Part of Naraku? My yes turned to the charred mass of the demon that had grabbed me. Its blackened flesh bubbled as if it had been doused with acid. It just looked like an arm... Just a singular arm, twice as long as I was tall. A shuddered ran through me. A disembodied part of Naraku, just an arm of some poor demon, had tried to attack me.

And I'd been paralysed. Not by fear. Not by anything I had experienced before. That pain, not being able to move, it was all new.

And it terrified me.

"Mio! Why didn't you jump out of the way?!" Master Jaken screeched. He waved his staff around in agitation. "If Lord Sesshomaru hadn't been here then you could have been injured, or worse taken away by Naraku!"

I rubbed my leg gently. "I know," I murmured. Something terrible could have happened to me. I knew that. From all I had experienced of Naraku? Of him taking away Rin, and attacking Lord Sesshomaru and killing Kagura? I _knew _that what could have happened to me could have been absolutely terrible. I didn't need screaming at to remind me of that. "I couldn't, Master Jaken. My leg... I couldn't move at all. I was paralysed."

"Paralysed?" He leaned over to peer at my leg.

"I can move it now. It...it was so strange. I just couldn't move it at all." I shifted to stand, and Rin helped me up, becoming my crutch as we made our way towards A-Un. "What does it mean?"

I had been paralysed for only a short period of time, while a demon was attacking me. No, while Naraku was attacking me. That didn't seem like it was a coincidence of any kind. Naraku was attacking me, and I was completely incapacitated. That had to mean something.

So what did it mean?

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**Review Corner!**

**anime0luver - **Huh, I suppose it does. It sounds very different when sung, though. It's a brilliant song.

**Tikikiki - **I'm sorry to worry you! I did get quite ill for a while, but I'm back and kicking now and I'll try not to take so many extended breaks. I honestly forgot how much I loved writing until I came back to it. I don't think I could stop again now. Especially not when all the good stuff is just around the corner! But, those are spoilers, so you'll just have to wait on the edge of your seat for it all!

**LOPE - **Welcome to Kagome Kagome, LOPE! Thank you for all the reviews. I hope this chapter was up to scratch!

* * *

**I cried. I bawled like a baby writing Kagura's scene. I couldn't help myself. Kagura is such a great character. So understated but beautiful. I love her so much, and despite their very short friendship, Kagura meant a lot to Mio, and the combined feelings over a loss of a great character, and a loss of a friend really had me going for gold.**

**I was very enthusiastic about writing this scene. It's a very long scene, and a very emotional one. I hope I conveyed that right.**

**And she calls him Sesshomaru again. Forming a deep connection with him by omitting the formality of his title and all that good stuff.**

**Okay, this last bit is super important. It's where explaining the prophecy starts to pick up! So remember this. It's important.**

**Writing this chapter started with so much trouble. I went to grab the book that I was taking the canon scenes from, and it wasn't in place. I'm REALLY anal about my manga, so I went nuts, and it took ages to find it. Typically, my mother had decided to put it somewhere I wouldn't think to find it, cause she didn't want to see my manga out. But once I got that found, it was super easy to write this chapter. I hit the ground running when it came to coming back to fanfic writing again, it seems!**

**I had so much fun writing this chapter. It took less than twenty minutes to write the first thousand words. I was on a real roll. Then the next chapter came almost as easily. Which means you guys will get that new scheduled update that I mentioned at the top. Mondays will be when I post, excluding tomorrow, because Im impatient and wanted to get this up nownownow. So from next Monday, I'll be posting new chapters weekly.**


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